Measuring the recreational use value of migratory shorebirds on the Delaware Bay

Myers, Kelley H. and Parsons, George R. and Edwards, Peter E.T. (2010): Measuring the recreational use value of migratory shorebirds on the Delaware Bay. Published in: Marine Resource Economics , Vol. 25, No. 3 (2010): pp. 247-264.

Abstract

In this article we estimate the recreational use value of household trips to view shorebirds during the annual horseshoe crab/shorebird migration on the Delaware Bay. We use contingent valuation to estimate the value of day and overnight trips separately and use a discrete choice question followed by a payment-card question to generate our valuation data. Our best estimates for the value of a day trip are about $66–$90/household and for an overnight trip about $200–$425/household (2008$). Our data are from the 2008 season, and our average household size is 1.66. For some context, estimates from four other studies report values that vary from $63/trip/person to $442/trip/person. These studies vary in method and specific birding populations studied and mix day and overnight trips.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Contingent valuation, discrete choice, bird watching, use value
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics

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