Valuing conservation of the Sundarbans mangrove forest ecosystem

Abstract

Estimating the value of conservation attributes of the Sundarbans mangrove forest provides important information in maintenance of a sustainable ecosystem. This study fills a gap in the literature regarding the non-market valuation connected with conservation attributes of the Sundarbans. It estimates tourists’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the conservation of the Sundarbans under proposed attributes. The contingent valuation (CV) is used to estimate the factors and attributes influencing WTP for conservation. The CV is applied in a few tourist spots in the Sundarbans to elicit stated preference data and estimate WTP. Tourists would be willing to pay a maximum Bangladeshi Taka of 30 and a Taka of 10 for the conservation of the Sundarbans. Provision of ecotourism, forest landscape restoration, nurturing mangrove and other native tree species biodiversity, and WTP may increase the recreational value because of their contribution to conservation of the Sundarbans and protect it from deforestation. Other salient explanatory variables behind WTP for proper conservation of the Sundarbans include age, monthly income, occupation, travel cost, distance, years of schooling, and family size. This study offers evidence of positive prospects for proposed attributes of conservation of the Sundarbans and development of its ecosystem service, driven by bequest motivation that is essential for policymakers and future researchers.