Valuing urban open space using the travel-cost method and the implications of measurement error

Comparative analysis of visual amenity services valuation: A nationwide assessment through propensity scoring matching and hedonic regression

Conventional hedonic valuations of environmental amenities and cultural ecosystem services (CES) expose two limitations. First, related studies are unable to fully capture the value of visual amenity services which synergistically contribute and enhance the provision of valuable CES together with recreation, educational and spiritual services. Second, studies using linear hedonic regression cannot address potential bias resulting from multicollinearity in independent variables. We found that popular choices of covariates are correlated with the main amenity variable, which can lead to an undermined estimation precision. Therefore, to address those shortcomings, we first employed a specific proxy dummy variable to assign treatment and control individuals based on the service type. Second, we adopted propensity score matching (PSM) methodology to match treatment and control observations conditional on overlapping baseline covariates in order to avoid collinearity. Then, we carried out a comparative evaluation of a nationwide visual amenity service of the ocean ecosystem in China, via our new PSM-based average treatment effects (ATE) methodology and a conventional linear hedonic regression. Two methodologies showed opposite results, with an 8.3% premium in apartment price via PSM-ATE and a negative 0.9% premium via hedonic linear regression. Via a novel evaluation method and a nationwide case study, we conclude that diversifying and enriching the current methodology should be the priority for environmental amenity and cultural ecosystem services-related valuations.

Integrated Valuation of Nature-Based Solutions Using TESSA: Three Floodplain Restoration Studies in the Danube Catchment

Floodplain restoration measures are among the most well-known nature-based solutions for flood risk reduction but practitioners see their limitations in comparison to technical measures when considering both their effectiveness and profitability. The aim of this study is to show the co-benefits (besides flood risk reduction) of floodplain restoration and handle them in terms of monetized ecosystem services (ES). Our work focused on six ES groups for three study areas in the Danube catchment along the Krka, Morava, and Danube rivers. ES mapping through stakeholder engagement is also considered. We applied the methodologies suggested in the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-Based Assessment (TESSA) complemented with alternative methodologies (e.g., questionnaires on social media). Results show annual combined benefits of floodplain restoration in a range from 237,000 USD2019 at Krka to 3.1 million USD2019 at Morava, suggesting the utility of ES assessment. The combination of stakeholder workshops and the TESSA guidelines, as well as the newly developed methods, were all central tools to provide decision-makers with arguments to use nature-based solutions for an integrated and holistic riparian land use management.

Households' Willingness to Accept Improved Ecosystem Services and Influencing Factors: Application of Contingent Valuation Method in Bashang Plateau, Hebei Province, China

The Bashang Plateau, which is an ecologically fragile agro-pastoral zone in Hebei Province in China, plays an important role in protecting the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from wind and sand erosion. Over the last four decades, it has been the target of extensive afforestation campaigns to promote improved ecosystem services. Though the benefits and costs of afforestation and its effectiveness within forestry have been widely investigated, few studies have focused on local households' willingness to accept (WTA) compensation relating to afforestation policies. Moreover, despite their importance in ensuring effective afforestation policies, the factors influencing WTA values have seldom been examined. We administered a direct questionnaire survey of households on the Bashang Plateau and applied a contingent valuation analysis to estimate their WTA values for compensation associated with ecological protection policies. We obtained 249 valid questionnaires, evidencing a high response rate (92.22%). New indicators of factors influencing respondents' WTA has been conducted including social, economic and ecological aspects, especially the improvement of ecological factors which consists of respondents' perceptions regarding the importance of ES and their satisfaction levels, and other environmental awareness factors. Additionally, in the case where many studies performed only one single regression analysis, this study performed a two-stage regression analysis and compared the results with those obtained using the Tobit model. A reasonable compensation standard facilitates a positive relationship between economic development and protection of natural environments. The findings showed that a certain amount of compensation (approximately 477.91 CNY/mu/year) was likely to prompt households' participation in afforestation projects. Compared with compensation standards for other ecological projects, the reported standard for afforestation projects on the Bashang Plateau is low, indicating that there is room for improvement. High annual household incomes are a key factor influencing households' WTA regarding their participation in afforestation activities. The results also revealed households' environmental awareness. Among respondents who participated in afforestation, those who valued forests for protecting environments and improving ecosystem services opted for lower compensation amounts. Our findings contribute valuable inputs for formulating ecological compensation standards and can serve as a reference for analyses of WTA and factors that drive it in other similar economically backward and ecologically fragile regions.