Kelley H. Appleman, George R. Parsons, Peter Edwards University of Delaware
R i lU V l Recreational Use Value y Measured by the welfare gain or
loss associated with a change in the condition of a recreational site or sites y Estimated by using both
observed and hypothetical behavior of users y Commonly used in benefit‐cost C l d i b fi
analyses where recreational use values play an important role
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I t fD l Et t Importance of Delaware Estuary to Migratory Shorebirds Migratory Shorebirds y Peak spawning season of
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab draws nearly 1 million shorebirds to Delaware Bay y Largest spring staging area for migratory shorebirds in eastern North America y 80‐90% of birds rely on horseshoe crab eggs as primary food source y Ability to gain adequate weight h l helps ensure survival during ld breeding season 3
Policy Debate y Competing uses of horseshoe
crab resource ‐ Bait in American eel and Whelk B it i A i l d Wh lk industries ‐ Clotting agent in biomedical i d industry ‐ Food resource for shorebirds and loggerhead turtle
y Shorebirds are a public good –
who pays for their protection? Photos courtesy of http://www.pbs.org 4
Research Goals y Provide estimate of total recreational benefits of
birding on the Delaware Bay during annual spring migration y Obtain useful information about birder
preferences and activities during visit to Delaware Bay y Estimate total number of household birding trips
d i i h bi d during spring shorebird season 5
Study Design y Collected data through an on‐
site intercept of visiting birders at 3 main sites: ‐ Port Mahon Rd. ‐ Mispillion Harbor ‐ Prime Hook NWR
y Sampling Goal: ‐ 600 households from May 1 to J June 15, 2008 5, y Actual result: ‐ 581 distributed, and 376 returned for net response rate of p 67% 6
Methods Two basic methods for valuing people s preferences for Two basic methods for valuing people’s preferences for recreational activities: 1.
Revealed Preference Methods –– Travel Cost Model Revealed Preference Methods
y y
Uses actual behavior to estimate an individual’s demand for trips to a recreational site or sites Similar to conventional demand for market goods, where quantity g q y demanded is number of trips, and the price is the cost of getting to site
2.
Stated Preference Methods –– Contingent Valuation Model Stated Preference Methods
y
Asks individuals to state their preferences through responses to survey questions Estimate maximum amount he/she is willing to pay before giving up th the recreational activity ti l ti it Benefit to society of recreational activity is the sum of these estimates across all individuals 7
y y
Economic Valuation Contingent Valuation Model C ti t V l ti M d l y Elicit preferences directly
Example of Day Trip Question: through response to survey question i y Two separate questions for those on a single day trip vs. overnight trip i ht t i y Dollar amount, or cost varies across surveys y Answers to this question provide estimate of the willingness to pay for a trip to D l Delaware Bay to view B t i migratory shorebirds 8
Results Non‐Parametric Estimates from Stated Preference Model
Overnight Model
Day Trip Model Bid (tk)
Total Offered (Tj)
Number of No’s (Nj)
10 20 25 30 40 50 60 75 100 150 200 300
18 15 31 41 17 36 38 15 211
1 1 5 8 6 18 22 13 74
-
-
Total E(WTP)
Pr(WTP ≤ Bid) (F*j)a 0.0556 0.0667 0.1613 Pooled 0.1951 Pooled 0.3529 0.5000 Pooled 0.5789 Pooled 0 8667 0.8667 $107.06
0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.091 0.333 0.667 0.727 0.964 Pooled P l d Pooled -
E(WTP)
-
$358.17
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Estimated Number of Household Estimated Number of Household Trips y To estimate total household
trips per day at each site sampled, surveyors recorded: l d d d ‐ Number of surveys distributed ‐ Repeats from previous days ‐ Refusals
y Used information from visitors U d i f ti f i it
log at DuPont nature center to predict total number of trips on days we did not sample d did l
Mispillion Harbor: 3,424 Port Mahon: 3,302 Total Trips (May 1st – June 15th ) 6,726
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Recreational Use Value Estimated Net Benefits of Recreational Birding on the Delaware Bay during Annual Shorebird Migration: Seasonal Value: $683,194 68 Discounted Social Benefits: Di t d S i l B fit $22,773, 164
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Concluding Remarks y Aid Federal, State and local agencies in priority
setting when making important resource allocation decisions ll i d i i y Determine value in damage assessment cases y Provide value estimate for benefit‐cost analyses
now legislated by many natural resource regulations l ti 12