Economic effects of environmental quality change on recreational hunting in northwestern Saskatchewan: a contingent behaviour analysis

Abstract

This study estimates changes in the value of a recreational hunting experience as road access, game populations, congestion, and travel distance change in the forest environment because of harvesting operations. Values were estimated using a model that considers changes in one or more environmental quality factors simultaneously. The model is a variant of the contingent valuation method that evaluates multiple environmental quality changes. The model is applied to big-game hunters in a particular forest management licence area in northern Saskatchewan. The results suggest that the welfare of these hunters increases with reductions in congestion and improvements in game populations and access levels. The annual value of those improvements that generate the highest welfare for moose and deer hunters ranges from about $12 000 to $19 000, depending on the welfare measure used. The highest values of welfare losses ranged from about −$2750 to −$19 500 depending on the welfare measure, and were associated with increases in congestion and decreases in access and game population levels. The methods and results presented in this paper suggest an approach for the values of nontimber products, such as recreational hunting, to be incorporated more explicitly in integrated forest management plans.