How much is the designation of a new biosphere reserve worth? Landsenses ecology valuation evidence from Israel

ABSTRACT

A biosphere reserve is a protected area that includes smaller areas where restricted development is allowed. This may help solve the conflict between conservation and development in areas where a corner solution is too expensive. The designation and management of a biosphere reserve contribute to what is called landsenses ecology but have their own costs and therefore need to be assessed for their benefits. In this study, non-market economic value resulting from the designation of the Megiddo Biosphere Reserve was quantified. The benefits for visitors in the area increased by ILS 59.23 per visit, for overall annual value of ILS 5.93 million (about US$ 1.68 million). Non-visitors are willing to pay ILS 24.75 per household per year to preserve the area. This result reflects the designation which is only a part of the overall value of the site. In terms of the total population of Israel, use and non-use values of the reserve total ILS 85.1 million per year. These results suggest that the Megiddo Regional Council joining the Bio-sphere designation program increased the value of the area for the entire population of Israel, both economically and in terms of non-market values.

KEYWORDS:

• Biosphere reserve
• non-market valuation
• contingent valuation
• travel cost
• Israel

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Mifal Hapais under contract number 70152.