Economic Value of Cultural Ecosystem Services from Recreation in Popa Mountain National Park, Myanmar: A Comparison of Two Rapid Valuation Techniques

Aya Suzuki,Wai Soe Zin,Kelvin S.-H. Peh,Alexandros Gasparatos

doi:10.3390/land8120194

Abstract

Protected areas offer diverse ecosystem services, including cultural services related to recreation, which contribute manifold to human wellbeing and the economy. However, multiple pressures from other human activities often compromise ecosystem service delivery from protected areas. It is thus fundamental for effective management to understand the recreational values and visitor behaviors in such areas. This paper undertakes a rapid assessment of the economic value of cultural ecosystem services related to recreation in a national park in Myanmar using two valuation techniques, the individual travel cost method (TCM) and the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA v.1.2). We focus on the Popa Mountain National Park, a protected area visited by approximately 800,000 domestic and 25,000 international tourists annually. Individual TCM estimates that each domestic visitor spent USD 20–24 per trip, and the total annual recreational value contributed by these visitors was estimated at USD 16.1–19.6 million (USD 916–1111 ha−1). TESSA estimated the annual recreational expenditure from domestic and international visitors at USD 15.1 million (USD 858 ha−1) and USD 5.04 million (USD 286 ha−1), respectively. Both methods may be employed as practical approaches to assess the recreational values of protected areas (and other land uses with recreational value), and they have rather complementary approaches. We recommend that both techniques be combined into a single survey protocol.

Highlights

Despite the growing international recognition of nature’s contribution to human wellbeing, ecosystems globally are facing increasing pressure from a multitude of human activities [1]
International tourists had a higher level of education and mean monthly household income (Table 3)
travel cost method (TCM), which is based on estimates of consumer surplus, can estimate the economic value of the benefits of recreational visits, whereas the TESSA (v. 1.2)

Summary

Introduction

Despite the growing international recognition of nature’s contribution to human wellbeing, ecosystems globally are facing increasing pressure from a multitude of human activities [1]. Ecosystem services are often not adequately valued or integrated in decision-making [1], leading to their degradation or loss [2,3], with considerable cost to society [4] This is prevalent in many developing countries due to the combined effects of the prioritization of economic growth, lack of knowledge on the contributions of ecosystems to the economy, and a low local capacity to design and implement ecosystem conservation interventions [5,6]. Land 2019, 8, 194 deliver on a range of international and national policy processes aimed at integrating ecosystems and development in order to steer towards sustainable development This includes processes as diverse as environmental mainstreaming [7], achieving sustainable development goals [8], and facilitating the transition to a green economy [9], reflecting the growing recognition that healthy and functioning ecosystems are indispensable for achieving sustainable development [10]. We argue that if nature-based tourism and recreation are to contribute positively to sustainable development, there is a need to better understand and measure at a finer scale the delivery of the relevant ecosystem services

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion