Open space and public access: a contingent choice application to coastal preservation.

摘要

States and municipalities have committed over $24 billion in bond issues for land conservation in recent years, yet the structure of the land conservation industry and markets is poorly understood. Using a stated choice experiment survey, this study examines the role of public access in willingness to pay (WTP) for coastal land conservation in Rhode Island, USA. The survey was conducted between December 1994 and March 1995. A total of 1250 choice observations from 636 respondents are analysed. The study identifies complex patterns in WTP, as related to level of access and to attitudes toward access and environmental protection. The findings contribute to understanding market segments that may motivate heterogeneity in land conservation agents and that reveal opportunities to optimize conservation programmes that serve heterogeneous populations..