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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2008

On the budget for national environmental objectives and willingness to pay for protection of forest land

Boman, Mattias; Norman, Johan; Kindstrand, Claes; Mattsson, Leif

Abstract

A number of national environmental objectives have been decided on by the Swedish parliament. In this paper, a measure of willingness to pay for attaining these objectives is outlined in terms of an "environmental budget", which can be disaggregated. Based on a nationwide contingent valuation survey, the average environmental budget was estimated and then disaggregated on specific "green" indicators. This paper focuses especially on protection of forest land for biodiversity purposes. Multiple bounded dichotomous choice questions were employed in the survey, allowing respondents to express uncertainty in their valuations. The effect of different question formats and valuation scenarios on the disaggregation of the environmental budget was investigated. Consideration of uncertainty had a significant impact on willingness to pay estimates. Willingness to pay varied between different levels of forest land protection when uncertainty was explicitly introduced. When valuation estimates were aggregated on the national level, the value of forest land protection exceeded the costs by a small margin.

Published in

Canadian Journal of Forest Research
2008, volume: 38, number: 1, pages: 40-51
Publisher: NATL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA-N R C RESEARCH PRESS

Authors' information

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre
Norman, Johan
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre
Kindstrand, Claes
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre

UKÄ Subject classification

Economics and Business
Forest Science
Agricultural Science
Social Sciences
Fish and Aquacultural Science
Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use

Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/X07-129

URI (permanent link to this page)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/17552