Abstract
Abstract: This study assesses the aggregated value of demand for forest recreation in the Azores using a regional travel cost model. Previous assessments of total economic value (TEV) of the Portuguese forest by Mendes (2005) and INCF (2006) consider both market services and non-market services. Non-timber benefits (NTB) such as recreation, carbon sequestration, protection of soil, and biodiversity were valued using value transfer methodologies. Forest recreation accounts for 0.65% of TEV using a unit transfer value of 2.75 Euros/per visit estimated by Loureiro and Albiac (1996). The present primary study assesses the value of forest recreation in the Azorean islands instead of a single site approach. A count data travel-cost model, taking into account characteristics of data from on-site face-to-face interviews, is used instead of contingent valuation. This study uses data from a survey of visitors to public forest parks in São Miguel, Terceira, and Pico. Visits to public forest parks are a significant component of forest recreation, attracting more than 18% of residents with an average of five trips per year. The typical visitant is male, 38 years of age, and has secondary education. Those interviewed engage in physical activities, walking and running, as well as picnics, an opportunity to meet friends and family during the summer. The profile of this summer visitors changes to a more hard engagement in running and walking activities during autumn and spring. 33% of visitors are fully satisfied with their visiting experience and the quality of public forest parks. The value of a daily visit is 13.66 euros, and the total economic value exceeds 3 million euros in all Azorean parks for 275 thousand visitors. A conservative assessment of the benefit of forest recreation is higher than the total market value of wood production.
Highlights
The forestry sector is a small part of the Azorean economy generating less than 1% of gross value added. It provides non-market services that are relevant to the development of nature tourism, from the unique natural woodlands of Laurisilva and exotic forests of cryptomeria japonica
Of the 323 visitors interviewed, 90% declared that the visited park was their first choice and less than 10% reported that either Pinhal da Paz or Chã da Macela were considered as a substitute as they are, both located near the three main towns in the center of the island(see Figure 1)
The total economic value of park recreation in the Azores is 3.7 million Euros for an estimated 275 thousand annual trips with parks in Sao Miguel contributing with 1.5 Million Euros in 2018
Summary
The forestry sector is a small part of the Azorean economy generating less than 1% of gross value added It provides non-market services that are relevant to the development of nature tourism, from the unique natural woodlands of Laurisilva and exotic forests of cryptomeria japonica. An essential question in an aggregated model is the number of sites to be considered (Lutz et al, 2000), and as there is no method to identify the optimal number of places the criteria used is to guarantee a more extensive spatial representation of the region These questions are addressed for the case of public forest recreation using a count data aggregated model for forestry parks in the Azores region. This paper contributes to characterize forestry recreation and to the travel cost literature providing the first assessment of the value of daily visits at an aggregated regional level in the Azores. As a sizeable primary study, the main contributions are: i) Creation of a data set for recreational demand in Azores forest parks; ii) Characterization of residents demand and satisfaction levels with existing park facilities; iii) First regional aggregate travel cost model and valuation of recreational forest use; Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural, 59(1): e238884, 2021
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