Biodiversity Conservation in a Protected Area
Attributes
Medium: Animals, Plants and/or Others
Country: China
Analytical Framework(s): Contingent Valuation, Economic Analysis
Unit(s): WTP
Study Date: 2003
Publication Date: 2004
Major Result(s)
| Resource/Environmental Good | CNY (2003) |
|---|---|
| Foregone net benefit under the conservation program1 | 270,000.00 |
| Mean WTP for biodiversity conservation in the protected area (rural respondents) | 11.00 |
| Mean WTP for biodiversity conservation in the protected area (rural respondents) | 33.00 |
Study Note: This empirical study was conducted to answer the following questions: (1) Are local communities greatly affected by conservation undertaken in protected areas? (2) If the local communities are to be compensated for any loss in livelihood they experience due to this conservation work, what is the minimum amount of the payment that should be given? (3) Are communities that do not live in protected areas willing to pay for biodiversity conservation in them? If yes, is their willingness to pay greater than the economic loss of the affected local communities?
Study Details
Summary: This study provides information on the impact of a new conservation regime in the Fanjingshan National Reserve (FNNR) in Guizhou Province, China. It calculates the economic and social effects that this regime will have on the livelihoods of people living inside the reserve. It shows that, if local people are not compensated for lost incomes, the new plans will increase conflict between locals and the reserve management. To find a way to pay compensation, the study investigated whether people living in the province around the reserve would be willing to pay for conservation in the FNNR through an eco-tax. These people benefit from conservation in the reserve, but at present pay nothing towards it. The study finds that they would be willing to pay and that the amount that could be collected would more than cover of compensating those affected inside the protected area.
Site Characteristics: Given the increasing importance of nature conservation in China, the government is committed to improving biodiversity conservation efforts. This goal is being met mainly through the creation, management and policing of 1,276 protected areas. In many of these sites local people's access is restricted. This is often done with little attention to the welfare of the local communities, whose access to natural resources is often greatly reduced.
Comments: The survey concludes that the Chinese government should pay close attention to the impact new conservation programs have on local people. It also recommends that proper compensation must be given to local communities if new conservation programs are to be implemented in protected areas such as FNNR. It finally recommends that the government explore appropriate mechanisms (such as eco-compensation schemes) to redistribute the costs and benefits of conservation work across the different stakeholder groups who will be affected by it.