Evaluation of payment for ecosystem services in Mediterranean forest: An empirical survey

Abstract

The relationship between humans and the forest has always been an important element, sometimes characterizing in the history of man himself. During the last years, the socio-economic context is profoundly changed, diversifying economic services provided by the forest. In the past, in fact, the primary function of the forest was the firewood production, while nowadays it grants several socio-economic benefits such as climate change mitigation, soil protection, protection and conservation of biodiversity, landscaping and recreational value. So, in recent decades a new type of socio-economic interest was developed in order to create a market of goods and services for the forests, called as payments for ecosystem services (PES). This paper, through a survey conducted in a wooded area of Sicily where recently was established a typical example of PES (Ecocampus), aimed at determining the actual satisfaction by users of the various services provided by forest, the reasons that lead them to visit it and their willingness to pay.