Preferences and willingness to pay for close to home nature for outdoor recreation in Sweden

Sammanfattning

In Sweden there is a strong tradition of using nature areas for outdoor recreation. This paper reports on a study which explored preferences and willingness to pay for outdoor recreation close to home (<= 100km away from home and <= 24hours stay at a recreation site) using the contingent valuation method. The data originated from a mail survey that involved Swedish residents who were randomly selected from a national register. An ordinary least squares regression model was used to account for factors influencing willingness to pay. The results showed that approximately 50% of the respondents used nature areas close to their home for recreation and their average frequency of visits to these areas was 74times annually. Areas dominated by forests were the most preferred, followed by water. The respondents were willing to pay approximately 7200 SEK (US$1080) annually. Their willingness to pay was influenced by factors such as type of nature area, distance to and time spent at the recreation site and income. The results provide one input to the land use planning process by considering the demand for nature-based outdoor recreation close to home.

Nyckelord

willingness to pay; distance; Sweden; nature; preferences; outdoor recreation; contingent valuation

Publicerad i

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
2015, volym: 58, nummer: 2, sidor: 283-296

SLU författare

• Ezebilo, Eugene Ejike

  • Institutionen för sydsvensk skogsvetenskap, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Boman, Mattias

  • Institutionen för sydsvensk skogsvetenskap, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    
  • University of West Indies

• Mattsson, Leif

  • Institutionen för sydsvensk skogsvetenskap, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Lindhagen, Anders

  • Institutionen för skogens produkter, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Mbongo, Werner

  • Institutionen för sydsvensk skogsvetenskap, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Associerade SLU-program

Naturupplevelser och hälsa

UKÄ forskningsämne

Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Miljövetenskap
Nationalekonomi

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2013.854196

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/61260