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Revista Chapingo serie ciencias forestales y del ambiente

On-line version ISSN 2007-4018Print version ISSN 2007-3828

Rev. Chapingo ser. cienc. for. ambient vol.24 n.3 Chapingo Sep./Dec. 2018  Epub Feb 19, 2021

https://doi.org/10.5154/r.rchscfa.2017.03.027 

Scientific article

Economic valuation of the calden (Prosopis caldenia Burkart) forest in the south of Córdoba, Argentina

Diego Sebastián Tello1  * 

Jorge Dante de Prada2 

Estela Raquel Cristeche3 

1Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Departamento Humanístico y Formativo. Ruta Nacional 36 km 601. C. P. 5800. Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.

2Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria, Departamento de Economía Agraria. Ruta Nacional 36 km 601. C. P. 5800. Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.

3Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Instituto de Economía. Avenida Rivadavia 1250, 2.o piso. C. P. 1033. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.


Abstract

Introduction:

The native forest of calden is a natural ecosystem that produces valuable ecosystem goods and services for society; however, it has been replaced for the production of commercial, agricultural and livestock goods.

Objective:

To estimate the economic value of a conservation program for ecosystem services of the remnant of the native calden (Prosopis caldenia Burkart) forest in the south of the province of Córdoba, Argentina.

Materials and methods:

The study area corresponds to a remnant forest of 37 648 ha. The willingness to pay (WTP) was obtained from a contingent valuation survey; 361 questionnaires were applied. The sampling unit was the household. A multistage cluster sampling was used in the city of Río Cuarto and a simple random sampling in Villa Huidobro.

Results and discussion:

The estimated WTP showed goodness of fit and most of the estimated coefficients were statistically significant (P < 0.05) and consistent with what was theoretically expected. The WTP increases with household income and decreases as the consulted amount of money to pay increases. The average WTP for a conservation program of the native calden forest is 52 ± 8 ARS (11.45 ± 1.76 USD) monthly per household.

Conclusion:

The majority of the urban population of southern Córdoba does not use forest ecosystem services; however, they are willing to pay to maintain or increase forest ecosystem services.

Keywords: Contingent valuation; dry native forest; ecosystem services; willingness to pay

Resumen

Introducción:

El bosque nativo de caldén es un ecosistema natural que produce bienes y servicios ecosistémicos valiosos para la sociedad; no obstante, ha sido reemplazado para la producción de bienes comerciales, agrícolas y ganaderos.

Objetivo:

Estimar el valor económico de un programa de conservación de los servicios ecosistémicos del remanente del bosque nativo de caldén (Prosopis caldenia Burkart) en el sur de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina.

Materiales y métodos:

El área de estudio corresponde a un remanente del bosque de 37 648 ha. La disposición a pagar (DAP) se obtuvo a partir de una encuesta de valoración contingente; 361 cuestionarios fueron aplicados. La unidad de muestreo fue el hogar. Un muestreo probabilístico por conglomerados multiétapico se utilizó en la ciudad de Río Cuarto y un muestreo aleatorio simple en la localidad de Villa Huidobro.

Resultados y discusión:

La DAP estimada mostró un buen ajuste y la mayoría de los coeficientes estimados fueron estadísticamente significativos (P < 0.05) y consistentes con lo esperado. La DAP aumenta con el ingreso económico de los hogares y se reduce a medida que el monto por pagar consultado incrementa. La DAP por un programa de conservación del bosque nativo de caldén es de 52 ± 8 ARS (11.45 ± 1.76 USD) promedio mensual por hogar.

Conclusión:

La mayoría de la población urbana del sur de Córdoba no usa los servicios ecosistémicos del bosque; sin embargo, los hogares están dispuestos a pagar para mantener o aumentar los servicios ecosistémicos del bosque.

Palabras clave: Valoración contingente; bosque nativo seco; servicios ecosistémicos; disposición a pagar

Introduction

The native calden (Prosopis caldenia Burkart) forest is a natural ecosystem that produces multiple goods and ecosystem services (ES) valuable to society. The forest forms a phytogeographic district with predominance of the calden tree in transition with grass savannas, dunes with psammophyll vegetation and saline soils with shrubs or halophilic steppes (Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable [SAyDS], 2007). Based on specific ecosystem functions, this forest can contribute to the development and protection of the soil (Buschiazzo, Estelrich, Aimar, Viglizzo, & Babinec, 2004); provide food, fiber, energy and medicinal species (Lell, 2005); favor the regulation of the hydrological cycle (Jayawickreme, Santoni, Kim, Jobbágy, & Jackson, 2011), of the local and global climate (Risio, Herrero, Bogino, & Bravo, 2014); and provide cultural services such as identity, spiritual enrichment and recreation.

Despite its social importance, the forest has been replaced by farming systems, forming a predominantly agricultural matrix and remnants of fragmented forests in the landscape. For more than a century, the forest has been modified for the production of commercial, agricultural and livestock goods, at the expense of ecosystem services (Viglizzo & Frank, 2006). In this sense, the producer perceives a greater value in the lands with crops than in the lands with forest and, therefore, he opts for deforestation. The market, through the price system, induces producers to underestimate or ignore the value of ES; in many cases, deforestation is greater than the socially desired, because society appreciates commercial goods and forest ES as well (Ma & Swinton, 2011).

The lack of market prices for many of the ES has led to an ad hoc economic valuation. In fact, the ES of the calden forest have been estimated by Carreño and Viglizzo (2007). These authors estimated, from the technique of benefit transfer, the monetary value of the ES of the Espinal ecoregion, which includes the region of calden, in 6 139 ARS·ha-1 (1 352 USD·ha-1). These authors took assessments systematized by Costanza et al. (1997); however, the economic values reported are difficult to adjust to the local reality. First, Carreño and Viglizzo (2007) provided little information on the criteria and adjustments to transfer the value (Johnston & Rosenberger, 2010); second, they did not consider the characteristics of the local population, i. e. they assigned an economic value without regarding the perception and willingness of consumers to pay for the forest ES. To avoid these drawbacks, the ES can be economically valued by the contingent valuation method (CVM).

The CVM consists of estimating, from a hypothetical situation, the willingness to pay (WTP) or willingness to accept (WTA) a program, project or public policy that promotes a change in the quantity or quality of the provision of one or several ES (Bateman et al., 2002). The CVM has been used to show the importance that society assigns to the remnants of native forests in agricultural establishments in the United States (Thompson, Noel, & Cross, 2002), as well as in state areas of Finland (Juutinen, Koseniusc, & Ovaskainen, 2014), Japan (Chen & Nakama, 2015) and Germany (Lienhoop & Völker, 2016).

The objective of this study was to estimate the economic value of a conservation program of ecosystem services of the calden forest remnant in the south of Córdoba, Argentina.

Materials and methods

Study area and sample design

The study area is located in the south of the province of Córdoba, Argentina. The data were obtained in Río Cuarto and Villa Huidobro, with a remnant of 37 648 ha of calden forest (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Study area in the south of Córdoba, Argentina. The main remnants of calden native forests are shown in the red polygons, and the selected urban centers in the yellow circles. Source: own elaboration. 

The sampling unit was the household, where the head of the family was interviewed. In the city of Río Cuarto, the sample was designed based on the random multistage cluster sampling method using CSurvey 2.0 software (Farid & Frerichs, 2008). The census tracks of the National Population, Household and Housing Census 2001 (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [INDEC], 2001) were considered in the sampling frame. In a first stage, 30 census tracks (out of a total of 159) were randomly selected; in the second stage, for each of these tracks, three main blocks and three substitutes were selected randomly. At each block a corner was randomly selected as the starting place. From the starting point, the interviewer moved clockwise, starting in the second house and continuing with the next one, to survey two households per block. In the case of Villa Huidobro, the blocks were randomly selected and then proceeded with the same criteria as in Río Cuarto. The surveys were conducted between April 17 and 26, 2012 in Río Cuarto and in June 1, 2012 in Villa Huidobro; 174 and 187 observations were recorded, respectively. The sampling error was estimated at 5.32 %, regarding the variable "household size" with a confidence level of 95 %.

Survey’s design

The survey was designed in four sections: 1) design of introductory questions regarding the perception of the main problem of the south of the province of Córdoba, and about knowledge of the calden forest; 2) presentation of an explanatory brochure on the proposed change situation: a conservation program that, over the course of 10 years, will increase the area of ​​the calden forest by 50 %, based on the control of deforestation, recovery and reforestation of the calden forest, regarding the ES provided (Figure 2); 3) consultation of the willingness to pay; and 4) sociodemographic characteristics of the household. In section 3, the WTP was consulted through the payment card format with random order. The amounts of WTP consulted, in Argentinian pesos, were: $ 5, $ 35, $ ​​60, $ 80, $ 100, $ 125 and $ 155. The response options for each amount were: a) Definitely Yes, b) Probably Yes, c) Not sure, d) Probably Not and e) Definitely not. Each of the amounts were presented on a card that contained the previously indicated response options.

The process begins by submitting the seven cards with their face down and asking the respondent to choose one of them and then turning it back. According to the response given, the interviewer proceeded differentially. If the interviewee stated a complete certainty answer - definitely yes or definitely not - they proceeded to remove those cards with respectively lower or higher amounts. Otherwise, respondents were asked to remove another card, repeating the process until no more cards remained.

Figure 2 Descriptive brochure of the current situation and the conservation proposal of the caldén forest in the south of the province of Córdoba. Source: Own elaboration. 

Later, in order to identify possible biases, we analyzed the respondents' reasons for manifesting an affirmative or negative WTP, through the following questions:

a) Which of the following statements describe more appropriately the reasons why you are willing to pay, to contribute to the financing of a land-use planning program in the south of Córdoba? Please, choose only one option.

I think it is important to control the clearing of the calden forest in the south of Córdoba and, therefore, we must take measures to order the territory.

I feel satisfied for contributing to any good cause.

Actually, I believe we will not have to make any payment.

Some other reasons

b) Which of the following statements describe more appropriately the reasons why you are NOT willing to pay to contribute to the financing of a land-use planning program in the south of Córdoba? Please, choose only one option.

I am satisfied with the current conditions of the rural environment.

I agree with a land-use planning program, but I am not in a position to make a monthly payment.

I agree with a land-use planning program, but I refuse to make a payment of any amount.

Some other reason.

The respondents who said they were willing to pay and selected options 2 and 3 were considered purchase of moral satisfaction bias (Kahneman & Knetsch, 1992) and hypothetical bias respectively (Azqueta, 1994). In the case of respondents who are not willing to pay and selected options 1 or 2, those were considered valid negative responses; while options 3 and 4 were considered protest responses.

Derivation of the empirical model

The data to estimate the WTP were obtained with payment cards chosen by the interviewee in a random way (Carthy et al., 1998) with a polychotomous response format (Welsh & Poe, 1998). For the treatment of the data, this is transformed into a double dichotomous format (Hanemann & Kanninen, 1998), which considers three values: Aic is the first value consulted to the respondent; Aiin it is a lower amount in case the answer is negative; Ai,su it is a higher amount if the answer is positive. In this sense, if the first and second answers are negative, we conclude that 0<C<Atin ; if the second answer is positive then Aiin<C<Aic . When the answer is positive it is consulted by the Aisu, if the answer is negative it is concluded that Aic<C<Aisu and if the answer is positive Aisu<C< . In the case of the polychotomous format, Aic , Aiin and Aisu are translated in intervals defined by the maximum amount that the respondent is willing to pay ( Aisimax ) and the minimum amount that he does not accept to pay Ainomin .

If yi1 and yi2 are defined as dichotomous variables that capture the first and second answers, then it is assumed the linear function DAP i (z i, µ i) = z i ß i + µi, where z i is a vector of explanatory variables, β i is a vector of parameters and µ i an error term that is distributed N(0, σ 2) (Hanemann & Kanninen, 1998). In the double bounded dichotomous format, the answer is given by a probability with the following expressions, where ϕ is the cumulative distribution function of the WTP:

Piyesyes=Pr (yi1 i=1;yi2 i=1 | zi)= ϕ(z'iβσ-Aisuσ)

Pinono= Pr (yi1 i=0;yi2 i=0 | zi) =1-ϕ(z'iβσ-Aiinσ)

Piyesno=  Pr (yi1 i=1;yi2 i=0 | zi)=ϕ z'iβσ-Aicσ-ϕz'iβσ-Aisuσ

Pinoyes=Pr (yi1 i=0;yi2 i=1 | zi)=ϕz'iβσ-Aiinσ-ϕz'iβσ-Aicσ

These estimates are obtained by the maximum likelihood method, assuming a joint density function given by:

L=i=1nPiyesyesdiyesyesPinonodinonoPiyesnodiyesnoPinoyesdinoyes

where d yesyes , d yesno , d noyes and d nono are indicator variables that have the value 1 or 0, depending on the relevant case for each individual; that is, a given individual contributes to the logarithm of the probability function in only one of its four options (Hanemann & Kanninen, 1998). The logarithm of the likelihood function is given by:

lnL=i=1ndiyesyeslnPiyesyes+dinonolnPinono+diyesnolnPisino+diyessilnPinoyes

The expected value for the WTP is given by:

E(DAPiziβ)=z´β

Specification of the econometric model

The econometric model was specified with seven explanatory variables that affect the change in utility. In order to design public policies, political decision makers need to know not only the existence of the WTP, but also the differences in this valuation between groups. In this sense, Carson and Hanemann (2005) recommend analyzing if there are differences between income groups, residents of different geographical areas, as well as between attitudes, knowledge and uses of the valued good or service. In accordance with this recommendation, the explanatory variables shown in Table 1 were selected for the development of the following function:

Pyesyes=β0+β1MPP+β2rio iv +β3edad +β4ing2+β5ing3+β6ing4+β7ing5+β8vinagr2+β9vinamb2+η

where P yesyes is the dependent variable that represents the probability of obtaining a positive answer for the WTP. The answer options were: a) Definitely Yes (DY), b) Probably Yes (PY), c) Not sure (NS), d) Probably not (PN) and e) Definitely not (DN). The answers DY and PY were considered positive answers (equal to 1) and the rest were considered negative (equal to 0).

WTP’s parameters, mean and median were estimated applying maximum likelihood method considering significance tests (Z test) and goodness of fit with the Wald tests and likelihood ratio. The data was processed with Stata 12 software, using the command doubleb (Lopez-Feldman, 2012). Stata 12 directly calculates βi and σ (standard deviation) and in this way it is possible to interpret the effects of the explanatory variables.

Table 1 Variables selected for the econometric model and its effects on the willingness to pay for the conservation of the calden forest in the south of Córdoba, Argentina. 

Variable Definition Unit/Scale Expected sign of the coefficient
MPP Amount to be paid (ARS) $5, $35, $60, $80, $100, $125 y $155 -
rio iv Location of the respondent Río Cuarto = 1 Villa Huidobro = 0 +/-
ing_2 Category 2 monthly household income Between $1 500 and $4 000 = 1 Other income = 0 +
ing_3 Category 3 monthly household income Between $4 001 and $8 500 = 1 Other income = 0 +
ing_4 Category 4 monthly household income Between $8 501 and $14 000 = 1 Other income = 0 +
ing_5 Category 5 monthly household income > $14 000 = 1 Other income = 0 +
age Respondent’s age years +/-
vinagr2 Linked to agricultural activity Yes = 1 No = 0 +/-
vinamb2 Linked to environmental organization Yes = 1No = 0 +/-
conoc_bo Knowledge of the calden forest Yes = 1No = 0 +/-
usayafect Use of the forest Yes = 1No = 0 +/-
βi
Parameters to be estimated from the variables
η
Error terms

The amounts obtained are expressed in Argentinian pesos (ARS) at 2012current prices and US dollars (USD, converted with a currency exchange rate 1 USD = 4.54 ARS). In the WTPAdded=N.WTP^i , N is the number of households and WTP^i is the household’s willingness to pay. To annualize the monthly amounts of WTP a social discount rate of 2.4 % per year was considered.

Results and discussion

Identification of biases and answer inconsistencies

Table 2 shows the type of answers obtained in order to identify the valid answers for the econometric analysis. In Río Cuarto and Villa Huidobro, 64 and 62 % of WTP positive responses were obtained, of which 13 and 12 % respectively resulted with moral satisfaction purchase biases, and 3 and 11 % with hypothetical bias. Regarding all the positive and negative answers without biases, the valid answers were 79 and 77 % in Río Cuarto and Villa Huidobro, respectively. In the case of inconsistent responses, 11 % of answers were identified in Río Cuarto and 8 % in Villa Huidobro e. g. whose answer was Probably Yes to 35 ARS (7.70 USD) and Probably NOT to 5 ARS (1.10 USD).

Regarding the protest responses, 10 % were recorded in Río Cuarto and 15 % in Villa Huidobro. In those cases, the respondent argued that the government is the one in charge of the land-use planning program, for the conservation of the calden forest. The cases of WTP with inconsistencies and protest responses were removed from the analysis (Bateman et al., 2002; Broberg & Brännlund, 2008), while the affirmative responses with biases were controlled in the estimation, although they were statistically not significant.

Table 2 Identification of the valid observations of the surveys conducted in Río Cuarto and Villa Huidobro, Córdoba, Argentina, to estimate the WTP for the conservation of the calden forest. 

Type of answer Río Cuarto Villa Huidobro Total Observations
No. (%) No. (%) No. (%)
Positive 83 48 73 39 156 43 Valid answers
Positive with purchase of moral satisfaction 22 13 22 12 44 12 Valid answers
Positive with hypothetical bias 5 3 21 11 26 7 Valid answers
Negative with bias 26 15 28 15 54 15 Valid answers
Negative with protest 18 10 28 15 46 13 Not considered answers
Inconsistencies 20 11 15 8 35 10 Not considered answers
Total 174 100 187 100 361 100

Sociodemographic and attitudinal characteristics of the sample

Table 3 shows the descriptive statistics of the sample obtained, regarding the valid answers. In the case of the continuous variables, the average number of household members was three, coinciding with the population average of both locations (Dirección General de Estadística y Censos [DGEC], 2008); the average age of the respondents was 47 years in Río Cuarto and 53 years in Villa Huidobro. In the case of the categorical variables, a similar proportion was observed in both locations: 1) the predominant monthly household income is the category 1 500-4 000 ARS (330-881 USD); 2) the majority of the heads of family surveyed were women, whose most frequent level of education is primary school. In contrast, there are statistically significant differences (P < 0.1) on calden forest knowledge; in Villa Huidobro, 77 % of respondents have knowledge of this, while in Río Cuarto only 21% expressed they knew it. On the other hand, less marked differences were detected in the use of forest and in the relationship of the respondents with the agricultural and environmental sector. The use of the calden forest is moderate; 18 % of the respondents in Río Cuarto showed some type of use and 9 % in Villa Huidobro. In both locations, the level of connection with the agricultural sector was also moderate: 18 % in Río Cuarto and 35 % in Villa Huidobro; however, the relationship with environmental organizations is even lower: 7 in Río Cuarto and 3 % in Villa Huidobro.

Table 3 Descriptive statistics of the family heads sample surveyed in Río Cuarto and Villa Huidobro, Córdoba, Argentina, to know the sociodemographic characteristics of households. 

Variable Category Río Cuarto Villa Huidobro Total
Fr Answers Fr Answers Fr Answers
Monthly income (ARS) <$1 500 0.15 19 0.25 34 0.20 53
$1 500 - $4 000 0.58 72 0.56 75 0.57 147
$4 001 - $8 500 0.23 29 0.13 18 0.18 47
$8 501- $14 000 0.04 5 0.03 4 0.03 9
>$14 000 - - 0.02 3 0.01 3
Total 125 134 259
Gender Female 0.69 94 0.69 99 0.69 193
Male 0.31 42 0.31 45 0.31 87
Total 136 144 280
Level of education Didn´t attend school 0.10 13 0.25 36 0.18 49
Primary 0.37 50 0.42 60 0.39 110
Middel school 0.21 28 0.18 26 0.19 54
High school 0.05 7 0.10 14 0.08 21
Incomplete university 0.19 26 0.03 5 0.11 31
Undergraduate 0.08 11 0.02 3 0.05 14
Postgraduate 0.01 1 - - 0.00 1
Total 136 144 280
Agricultural sector With relationship 0.18 24 0.35 51 0.27 75
No relationship 0.82 111 0.65 93 0.73 204
Total 135 144 279
Environmental organizations With relationship 0.07 9 0.03 5 0.05 14
No relationship 0.93 126 0.97 139 0.95 265
Total 135 144 279
Knowledge of the forest With knowledge 0.21 29 0.77 111 0.50 140
Without knowledge 0.79 107 0.23 33 0.50 140
Total 136 144 280
Forest use With use 0.18 25 0.09 13 0.14 38
No use 0.82 111 0.91 131 0.86 242
Total 136 144 280

Fr: Frequency of the variable

Econometric model

The estimated econometric model has good goodness of fit (Table 4). According to Wald's statistical tests and likelihood ratio, the model had good joint significance in both cases (P < 0.01), rejecting the null hypothesis which indicates that the coefficients of the explanatory variables are equal to zero.

Table 4 Econometric estimation of the willingness to pay for the conservation of the calden forest in the south of Córdoba, Argentina. 

Variables Coefficient Standard deviation Significance*
β
city 10.47 9.46 NS
age -1.16 0.24 ***
ing_2 19.85 9.82 **
ing_3 44.39 12.58 ***
ing_4 87.59 22.57 ***
ing_5 94.25 39.15 **
vinagr2 25.85 8.94 ***
vinamb2 10.44 17.25 NS
conoc_bo -1.06 9.57 NS
usayafect 11.13 11.68 NS
_cons -73.81 16.47 ***
σ
_cons 57.55 3.30 ***
WTP (Average) 52 [44-59]
N 257
Statistical likelihood ratio 170
Wald 81
Prob > χ2 0.00
Likelihood ratio -474.27
Akaike 973

WTP: willingness to pay, N: number of observations used to calculate the econometric estimation ***P < 0.01, **P < 0.05, *P < 0.1, NS = not significant (P ≥ 0.1)

Four of the seven parameters estimated were significant and consistent with the expected signs. The estimated coefficient of the variables WTP and age were significant and with a negative sign; that is, the higher the WTP and age, the lower the probability of obtaining a positive answer. The coefficients of the estimators of the variables regarding income (ing i ) and relationship with the agricultural activity (vinagr 2) were significant and with a positive sign i. e. the greater the household's ing i and vinagr 2, the greater the probability of an affirmative response of WTP. The expected effects of the coefficients of the significant variables were consistent with economic theory. All the coefficients of the variables regarding income had a positive sign and increased to higher income levels.

The signs of the estimated coefficients of forest knowledge (conoc_bo and location (rio iv) were different from those expected and were not statistically significant (P > 0.1). The estimated coefficient of the variable conoc_bo resulted with a negative sign, which would imply that the probability of a positive response of WTP of the respondents with previous knowledge of the existence of the forest is lower than that of the respondents who said they did not know about the forest. Possibly, people with forest knowledge compare it with lands considered more productive commercially as agricultural land and do not take into account all the forest ES. Besides, the question about knowledge was direct and simple and does not allow speculating too much with the result. On the other hand, the estimated coefficient of the variable rio iv was positive; that is, the probability of a positive response of WTP of the respondents from Río Cuarto (most distant city) would be higher than that of the respondents in Villa Huidobro. This coincides with the results found by Mombo et al. (2014), who estimate a higher WTP in urban households compared to rural households, close to forest areas; however, it differs from the results of Lockwood et al. (1993).

The estimated coefficients vincamb 2 and usayafect were also statistically non-significant (P > 0.1). This result is very important, since one of the main critical points of the CVM is the possibility of inducing biases in the WTP assessment responses (Bateman et al., 2002).

The estimated WTP has a relatively high precision regarding the close relationship between the average/median and intervals obtained. The average WTP was 52 ARS (11.45 USD) with a variation of ±8 ARS (±1.76 USD), equivalent to an annual WTP of 615 ARS (135.4 USD) per household with a range between 518 ARS (114 USD) and 714 ARS (157 USD). The estimated WTP is in the range of economic values ​​reported for remnant native forests in private and state establishments. Thompson et al. (2002) estimated an annual individual WTP of 217 USD (988 ARS) to prevent the conversion of the American oak woodland to agricultural systems in California, United States. Juutinen et al. (2014) estimated an annual WTP per household between 44 USD (200 ARS) and 71 USD (324 ARS) for maintaining and expanding the forests of the Finnish State for recreational use. Chen and Nakama (2015) estimated the WTP per household at 4.5 USD (64 ARS) to maintain and expand the forest in three locations of Okinawa, Japan. Lienhoop and Völker (2016) estimated an annual WTP per household of 9 USD (41 ARS) for an increase in forest cover in the Saxony region, Germany.

Regarding that the south of Córdoba has 115 854 households (DGEC, 2008), the current annual value of the WTP of the urban population of southern Córdoba is 71.3 million pesos (ARS) (15.7 million dollars [USD]), meanwhile, the current value projected at 10 years for the urban population of Río Cuarto is 629.3 million pesos (ARS) (138.6 million dollars [USD]) (Table 5).

The results of the present study, obtained through contingent valuation, differ from the values reported by Carreño and Viglizzo (2007). If we consider the average annual aggregate WTP and the area of forest valued (56 472 ha), the value of ES of the calden forest is 1 264 ARS·ha-1 (278 USD·ha-1), less than 6 139 ARS·ha-1 (1 352 USD·ha-1) estimated by Carreño and Viglizzo (2007). This overestimation is expected, because the method used by these authors does not take into account the budgetary constraints of households, but the estimated WTP in this study does consider them.

Table 5 Added willingness to pay (WTP) for households in southern Córdoba, Argentina, for the conservation of the calden forest. 

Aggregated WTP Minimum Average Maximum
AggregatedAnnual WTP (ARS) $60 747 456 $71 386 841 $81 106 434
Aggregated WTP to 10 years (ARS) $535 532 525 $629 326 357 $715 011 561

Conclusions

The economic value of a calden forest conservation program (Prosopis caldenia) in the south of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, was estimated through a contingent valuation survey. The majority of the urban population of southern Córdoba does not use forest ecosystem services. In particular, the inhabitants of the farthest city (Río Cuarto) are unaware of the existence of the calden forest. However, when information is provided on the nature of the forest and the ecosystem services it offers, urban population shows greater understanding on the effects of deforestation (the majority of respondents) and on the need for deliberate effort to maintain or expand the forest and its ecosystem services. In general, the households of Río Cuarto and Villa Huidobro are willing to pay to maintain or increase the ecosystem services of the calden forest.

Acknowledgments

This study is part of the project "Environmental bases for the land-use planning of the rural area of ​​the province of Córdoba", loan BID-PID Nº 013/2009 approved by MinCyT Córdoba and UNRC.

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Received: March 31, 2017; Accepted: May 30, 2018

*Corresponding author: dtello@fce.unrc.edu.ar, tel.: 54-358-4676519

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