Economic valuation of the ecosystem services of the water resource of the Cachi river basin, Ayacucho, Perú

Abstract

Knowing economic value of ecosystem services makes it possible to identify the importance of ecosystems and their services, with which better decisions that have an impact on social well-being are expected. The objective of the study was to estimate the economic value of water ecosystem services (ES), from the Cachi basin.The novelty of the study lies in the application of a complete study of the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), the Willingness to Pay (WTP) and the Willingness to Accept (WTA) were estimated. According to surveys carried out, 90.6% of the producers in the Cachi basin are WTP, 9.4% are not WTP for economic reasons. On the other hand, 92% of the inhabitants of the high Andean areas are WTA, only 8% do not accept an economic incentive, due to disagreements with the Regional Government of Ayacucho. The econometric results of the logit model showed that the producers are WTP, at most S/ 74.87/ha/campaign (19.50 USD), for the conservation of the hydrological ES for agricultural porpuses. While the inhabitants of the highland areas of the Cachi basin are WTA, the minimum amount of S/162.05 ha/bofedal/monthly (42.21 USD), in exchange for conserving the wetlands and pastures of the Cachi basin headwaters. It is concluded, the producers are WTP for obtaining continuity and quality of the supply of water for agricultural use, and they are WTA for the conservation and recovery of natural water sources. Putting these results into practice would contribute to the sustainability of the water supply in the high Andean areas, guaranteeing the provision of water resources to current and future generations in times of drought.