Examining tourist preferences to slow glacier loss: evidence from Alaska

ABSTRACT

Climate change has affected the rate at which glaciers are receding around the globe. Much of the research on glacier loss has focused on its effects on rising sea levels and water supply. However, studies examining the impact of glacier loss on in situ ecosystem services are quite limited. The Mendenhall Glacier in the Tongass National Forest is an easily accessible glacier that receives over 600,000 visitors annually. While the glacier is currently visible from the visitor centre, it is expected to recede out of sight within the next few decades. Using a choice experiment, tourists are surveyed to estimate a willingness to pay value for slowing the rate of glacier recession. Results indicate that tourists are willing to pay, on average, $$648$ per year to reduce the annual rate of glacier loss to $0.15{\mathrm{k}\mathrm{m}}^3$ over the next 60 years. Willingness to pay for policies to achieve the outcomes differs based on political preference and environmental organisation membership. Nature-based tourists care about preserving glaciers and disagree about the mechanisms for how to accomplish that objective.

KEYWORDS:

• Glaciers
• nature-based tourism
• recreation
• choice experiment
• non-market valuation

Acknowledgments

The genesis of this project occurred while consuming a beverage with Sanjay Pyare. Research assistance was provided by Bridger Vance. A debt of gratitude is owed to John Neary at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor's Center for his insight and assistance in fielding the survey. I am grateful to participants of the February 2015 W-3133 meeting in Pensacola Beach, the April 2015 research workshop at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and participants of the AERE sessions at the 2018 annual Southern Economic Association Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Finally, I thank Trudy Ann Cameron, Sonja Kostoe, and Klaus Moeltner for their helpful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

There is no potential conflict of interest.

Notes on contributor

Brian Vander Naald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance at Drake University. His research focuses on no-market valuation of ecosystem goods and services.

ORCID

Brian Vander Naald http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6241-3666

Notes

1 https://nsidc.org

2 The insulated ice blanket is a costly policy to implement. While it is not practical to cover an entire glacier in an insulated ice blanket, it was meant to represent a potential adaptation strategy distinct from a global GHG reduction agreement.

3 http://claalaska.com/.

4 Some respondents in the sample did not provide complete sociodemographic information. As these specific characteristics were not explicitly included in the analysis, the results were unaffected by this.

5 www.statista.com

6 www.census.gov

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded in part by Alaska EPSCoR NSF award #OIA-1208927.