Recreational benefits of wetlands: a survey on the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir of India

Md. Saiful Islam,Showkat Ahmad Shah

doi:10.1108/ihr-03-2021-0018

Md. Saiful Islam, Showkat Ahmad Shah

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1108/ihr-03-2021-0018

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Abstract

PurposeA wetland is a place of tourist attraction, and tourism values play a key role in economic development. Among various services provided by a wetland, recreational services are increasingly valuable in the tourism sector. This paper aims to unfold the potential recreational values of the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, India.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses individual travel cost methods (TCMs) and assesses its impact on regional development in terms of income and employment generation. A sample of 200 tourists is selected through an on-site survey on Dal Lake, and the demand for recreational visits and its value is estimated by employing the truncated Poisson regression model (TPRM) and un-truncated Poisson regression model (UTPRM). The consumers' surplus is estimated and tourists' benefit to visiting the wetland is explored.FindingsOn average, estimated consumers' surplus per visitor is Rs 6,250 (US$96.15) and Rs 25,000 (US$384.61) from respective models. The annual total recreational value of the lake is accounted for Rs 1713m (US$ 26m). This high consumer surplus (CS) and recreational values of the lake indicate large demand for its recreational facilities.Originality/valueThe study is based on primary data and thus, is original. The paper has implications for the policymakers to formulate sustainable management plans for the proper use of Dal Lake and tourism development.

Highlights

A wetland is a place of tourist attraction that is described as a productive ecosystem, which provides several services including food, habitat for fish, plants, wildlife, flood protection, erosion control, water purification, carbon sequestration and opportunities for recreation, environmental and cultural education and research (DeGroot et al, 2006; Barbier et al, 2011)
Un-truncated Poisson regression results show that the estimated coefficient of RTTC has an expected negative value at a 1% level of significance
The coefficient of family size is positive but insignificant, meaning that it does not influence the recreational demand for travel in both un-truncated Poisson regression model (UTPRM) and truncated Poisson regression model (TPRM)

Summary

Introduction

A wetland is a place of tourist attraction that is described as a productive ecosystem, which provides several services including food, habitat for fish, plants, wildlife, flood protection, erosion control, water purification, carbon sequestration and opportunities for recreation, environmental and cultural education and research (DeGroot et al, 2006; Barbier et al, 2011). A wetland provides several direct and indirect use values. It serves as a source of employment and income. People use wetlands for agriculture farming, fishing for home and commercial purposes, trees for timber and fuelwoods and reeds to make mats and thatch roofs in village houses. A wetland ecosystem provides invaluable environmental, economic and recreational benefits to society. Schuyt and Brander (2004) based on 89 case studies reported that Asian wetlands accounted for US$1.8bn per year in an absolute term out of US$3.4bn per year in the world,

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