Assessing the Value of Agroecosystem Services in Warmia and Mazury Province Using Choice Experiments

Stanisław Bielski,Renata Marks-Bielska,Anastasija Novikova,Bernardas Vaznonis

doi:10.3390/agriculture11010004

Stanisław Bielski, Renata Marks-Bielska + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11010004

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Abstract

Due to the often-intangible benefits of agroecosystem services (AES), their cultural, social, and economic value is very difficult to quantify and integrate into decision-making and policy-making processes. The aim of this study is to assess the non-market values of AES in an exceptionally environmentally rich area of the Warmia and Mazury region (Poland), identifying consumers’ preferences for them using the choice experiment (CE) method. Four AES attributes were selected for the research: (i) water quality; (ii) wildlife populations; and (iii) agricultural landscape. The study has revealed that the residents of Warmia and Mazury region were concerned about environmental issues that may be caused by agriculture. There was a demand for the provision of AES. The application of multinomial logit (MNL) model has revealed that marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) values were the highest for water quality (EUR 1.94), followed by wildlife population (EUR 1.02) and agricultural landscape (EUR 0.85). The findings have provided quantitative information related to the demand for improvements in AES through agri-environmental protection programs.

Highlights

Agricultural systems have been primarily created for the production of food and fiber raw materials [1]
In Model I, the utility is determined by the levels of four attributes in the choice sets
Consumers’ willingness to pay substantiates their higher concerns about the drinking water quality. It shows that residents of Warmia and Mazury were mostly concerned about the primary needs

Summary

Introduction

Agricultural systems have been primarily created for the production of food and fiber raw materials [1]. They have a significant impact on the formation of cultural ecosystems and provision of different ecosystem services (ES) in rural areas: healthy and safe food, quality of surface water, air and soil, rich landscape, and biodiversity [2]. Production is the use of man-made ecosystems and the use of natural ecosystem elements In this context, according to Christiansen (1979) [3], agricultural systems are referred to as the agroecosystem, and the outputs delivered by them are referred to as the AES. The agroecosystem is the only ecosystem directly managed by people in order to meet own needs [4]

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