| 1. |
- Bostedt, Göran, 1966-, et al.
(author)
-
Contingent values as implicit contracts : Estimating minimum legal willingness to pay for conservation of large carnivores in Sweden
- 2008
-
In: Environmental and Resource Economics. - : Springer Netherlands. - 0924-6460 .- 1573-1502. ; 39:2, s. 189-198
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mean willingness-to-pay (WTP) based on multiple bounded, discrete choice responses from contingent valuation surveys are normally obtained using some kind of parametric estimator. This paper instead exploits the possibility to interpret the response to the discrete-choice question as an implicit contract between the researcher and the respondent, resulting in a minimum legal WTP (MLW) estimator. Never previously used in valuation literature, it is used in this paper to estimate the WTP for the preservation of large carnivores in Sweden, based on a large scale, national survey. Results show that MLW estimates only were 12–19% of the comparable parametric estimates. In keeping with other results in contingent valuation literature, we find that the MLW estimates are positively related to the educational level, income and the fraction of urban population, while negatively related to age. Among the advantages of the MLW estimator is its transparency as well as the fact that it rests on a contractual notion of WTP.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Ericsson, Göran, et al.
(author)
-
Are wolves driving willingness to pay for large carnivores? : Wolves as a symbol for people’s willingness to pay for large carnivore conservation
- 2008
-
In: Society & Natural Resources. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0894-1920 .- 1521-0723. ; 21:4, s. 294-309
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A successful implementation of a mammalian conservation policy requires knowledge of how people value animals. Little is known about how people value large carnivores. The discussion is therefore dominated by people's perception of wolves. In a mail survey (65% response rate) we asked persons residing in areas with populations of wolves, bears, lynx, and wolverines whether they were willing to pay to reach the national conservation goals for those species. We compared 69 Swedish counties with a representative national sample of Swedes living outside the areas with large carnivores. We found that the behavioral intention willingness to pay (WTP) was negatively related to the presence of wolves, to the urban profile, and to opposition against the European Union Monetary Union. We encourage future studies to compare national surveys with local samples in controversial issues to discover conflicting views among national, regional, and local natural resource management stakeholders.
|
|
| 4. |
- Ericsson, Göran, et al.
(author)
-
The problem of spatial scale when studying human dimensions of a natural resource conflict : Human and wolves in Sweden
- 2006
-
In: The International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1745-1590 .- 1745-1604. ; 2:4, s. 343-349
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Some surveys are performed at a spatial scale that hides the core of the problem. This is not a trivial problem if local members of the public and more distant respondents disagree over a certain issue. We contrast a Swedish national, proportional survey with corresponding regional and local surveys. We use three survey questions about wolves to illustrate the risk of extrapolation from proportional national surveys to areas where human and nature conservation issues are in conflict. As attitudes towards large carnivores generally tend to be favourable amongst the general public, but negative amongst those most likely to be adversely affected, surveys performed at a too large a spatial scale do not capture the problem or reveal disagreements between local and general public. This could lead to a conceptual mismatch between the spatial scales of, first, the natural resource problem and, second human population sampling. Our study in the mountain region of northern Sweden illustrates biases potentially introduced to controversial issues tied to local problems by using proportional national surveys. We suggest over-sampling in problem areas contrasted with proportional regional/national sampling, or proportional sampling matching the scale of problem, to identify the driving mechanisms and related variables.
|
|
| 5. |
- Ericsson, Göran, et al.
(author)
-
Willingness to pay (WTP) for wolverine Gulo gulo conservation
- 2007
-
In: Wildlife Biology. - 0909-6396 .- 1903-220X. ; 13:Suppl. 2, s. 2-12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Knowledge about people’s willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation efforts is becoming increasingly important for natural resource management. We used a mail survey with four contacts to 11,418 people, aged 16-65, to investigate how much and why Swedes were willing to pay for wolverine Gulo gulo conservation. With the restricted distribution of European wolverines, Sweden has a key role in their management. We found that Swedes were least likely to support wolverine conservation efforts compared to wolves Canis lupus, lynx Lynx lynx and brown bears Ursus arctos. The amount varied between 965 and 1,233 SEK per person. Of the national representative control group, 47% expressed willingness to pay an average of 1,253 SEK per person. We found that in densely populated urban municipalities with a high proportion of university educated, high female-to-male ratio, positive attitude to the European monetary union (EMU), and a high income, people were more positive towards paying for wolverine conservation. The presence of wolves, but not the presence of any of the other large carnivores, was negatively related to peoples’ WTP for wolverine conservation. This indicates that the presence and related experience of wolves might be the principal driver of people’s perception of all large carnivores, including wolverines.
|
|
| 6. |
- Håkansson, Cecilia, et al.
(author)
-
Exploring distributional determinants of large carnivore conservation in Sweden
- 2011
-
In: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0964-0568 .- 1360-0559. ; 54:5, s. 577-595
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper aims to fill the gap in the literature about distributional impacts (who wins and who loses) of implementing new management plans for non-market priced environmental goods and services. The focus is on whether and to what extent, age, gender, presence of large carnivores and income affect willingness-to-pay (WTP) for increasing large carnivore stocks in Sweden. Our results contradict findings from previous studies on large carnivores in the sense that patterns change when different distributional dimensions are analysed together. The results indicate that WTP is independent of the presence of large carnivores, except for the group 'young men'. In general, young men are found to be a disparate group.
|
|
| 7. |
- Boman, Mattias, et al.
(author)
-
Moose Hunting Values in Sweden Now and Two Decades Ago : The Swedish Hunters Revisited
- 2011
-
In: Environmental and Resource Economics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0924-6460 .- 1573-1502. ; 50:4, s. 515-530
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper is based on two national contingent valuation studies dealing with the extent and economic values of hunting in Sweden. The first valuation study was conducted in 1987 and the second in 2006. Both the game resource and the hunter community have undergone changes in the two decades covered by the surveys. An important purpose of the latter survey was to repeat relevant parts of the former one, which created a rare opportunity to compare valuations covering a very long time span. Moose hunting value and its determinants were compared between the two studies, showing that significant changes have taken place. Our analysis suggests caution in using results from old contingent valuation studies for e.g. benefits transfer exercises.
|
|
| 8. |
- Boman, Mattias, et al.
(author)
-
Outdoor recreation - A necessity or a luxury? : Estimation of Engel curves for Sweden
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. - : Elsevier BV. - 2213-0780 .- 2213-0799. ; 3-4, s. 49-56
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Income constitutes one important constraint for the degree of participation in outdoor recreation. The effect of this constraint can be measured by the income elasticity of outdoor recreation demand, which is of policy interest when the distribution of recreation opportunities across socioeconomic groups is a concern. This study investigated income elasticity of expenditures for three types of outdoor recreation in Sweden, at the individual level: outdoor recreation as an aggregated composite good, outdoor recreation close to home (less than 100 km away from the permanent residence), and hunting. The findings indicated that outdoor recreation as a composite is a luxury good with elasticity in excess of unity (i.e. a relative increase in income will lead to a greater relative increase in demand). The elasticities of the specific activities were found to be lower. Outdoor recreation close to home was characterized as a necessity with elasticity less than unity (i.e. a relative increase in income will lead to a smaller relative increase in demand). The results further suggested that an increase in income could lead to either a decrease or an increase in the demand for hunting, indicating that hunting might be an inferior good or possibly a necessity. Management implications Based on data from national surveys in Sweden, this paper explores the relationship between income and demand for different types of outdoor recreation activities. The analysis reveals that: The total demand for outdoor recreation opportunities can be expected to increase with increasing income levels in society. An increase in total demand does, however, not imply that demand for all types of outdoor recreation will increase simultaneously.The relationship between income and outdoor recreation demand differs among various types of recreation activities. Outdoor recreation close to home and hunting provided two examples of such diverging patterns in this paper. This, in turn, leads to different policy implications.Policy measures should, therefore, be adapted to the specific type of outdoor recreation under consideration.Managers need to be aware of the underlying factors affecting demand, such as socioeconomic characteristics, substitutability, motivations and different types of constraints.Future analysis should consider also the following factors potentially affecting outdoor recreation demand:- The distinction between recreation enjoyed during overnight trips (i.e. tourism related), as opposed to day based recreation activities where income may be less important.- The time available for outdoor recreation and the family situation.- Recreational activities must be regarded within the regulatory national framework. For example hunting in Sweden is guided by bag limits, reduced mobility because of limited access to specific hunting grounds, and specific national management of hunting opportunities. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Dressel, Sabrina, et al.
(author)
-
A meta-analysis of studies on attitudes toward bears and wolves across Europe 1976–2012
- 2015
-
In: Conservation Biology. - : Wiley. - 0888-8892 .- 1523-1739. ; 29:2, s. 565-574
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ranges of wolves (Canis lupus) and bears (Ursus arctos) across Europe have expanded recently, and it is important to assess public attitudes toward this expansion because responses toward these species vary widely. General attitudes toward an object are good predictors of broad behavioral patterns; thus, attitudes toward wolves and bears can be used as indicators to assess the social foundation for future conservation efforts. However, most attitude surveys toward bears and wolves are limited in scope, both temporally and spatially, and provide only a snapshot of attitudes. To extend the results of individual surveys over a much larger temporal and geographical range so as to identify transnational patterns and changes in attitudes toward bears and wolves over time, we conducted a meta-analysis. Our analysis included 105 quantitative surveys conducted in 24 countries from 1976 to 2012. Across Europe, people's attitudes were more positive toward bears than wolves. Attitudes toward bears became more positive over time, but attitudes toward wolves seemed to become less favorable the longer people coexisted with them. Younger and more educated people had more positive attitudes toward wolves and bears than people who had experienced damage from these species, and farmers and hunters had less positive attitudes toward wolves than the general public. For bears attitudes among social groups did not differ. To inform conservation of large carnivores, we recommend that standardized longitudinal surveys be established to monitor changes in attitudes over time relative to carnivore population development. Our results emphasize the need for interdisciplinary research in this field and more advanced explanatory models capable of capturing individual and societal responses to changes in large carnivore policy and management.
|
|
