Valuing ecosystem services of Sundarbans Mangrove forest: Approach of choice experiment

Residents of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh, show significant willingness to pay for ecosystem services, with marginal willingness-to-pay (MWTP) values ranging from Tk. 0.015 to Tk. 0.329 across different options, indicating a potential demand despite lower MWTP in some cases. The study used a choice experiment approach, involving focus group discussions and surveys in seven villages, to measure MWTP and compensating surplus (CS) for services like fish, shrimp larvae, crab capture, and fruit/honey collection. Key factors influencing choices included age, income, education, family composition, and occupational status. The findings highlight the economic value of ecosystem services in the Sundarbans, with option 3 yielding the highest surplus (Tk. 0.551), suggesting strong local support for conservation efforts.

Iqbal, Md. H. (2020). Valuing ecosystem services of Sundarbans Mangrove forest: Approach of choice experiment. Global Ecology and Conservation, 24, e01273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01273