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The paper analyses value co-creation and social innovation focusing on a new approach to the management of Natura 2000 areas: the Networks of Reserves (NoRs). NoRs have been set up in Trentino (an Italian alpine area) to create an ecological network within the territory, with a particular focus on the socio-economic dimensions of nature conservation and with a bottom-up approach. The research investigates the role of NoRs by using a quali-quantitative approach to analyse the attitudes and awareness of private stakeholders, public actors and local communities. In-depth interviews with NoRs coordinators and key players in tourism organizations were carried out. 167 online questionnaires were sent out to local stakeholders. The research investigates community participation and stakeholder engagement in NoRs’ projects and activities, whether and how socio-economic development has occurred, and whether and how innovative sustainable tourism offers have been created. It confirms the role of NoRs in relation to the conservation and valorisation of natural resources through the stimulation of activities such as environmental interpretation and education. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of bottom-up processes for the co-creation of sustainable tourism offers and the fostering of social innovation. NoRs have proved to be successful in overcoming the major impediments to the functioning of the Natura 2000 network highlighted in the literature.

Bio-based and biodegradable plastics produced from wood residues can have a positive impact on the environment by replacing conventional plastics. However, the current bioplastics market is held back by a lack of available information and weak marketing activities aimed at final consumers. To increase the available information, the present study investigated the consumers’ attitudes and behaviours towards bioplastic products. A web-based survey was conducted on a sample of potential consumers in Italy. 1 115 consumers filled out the questionnaire with a dropout rate in compilation of 14%. The results showed that the environmental characteristics of bioplastics (lower impact on climate change and renewable sources used to produce them) are considered more important by respondents than the non-environmental characteristics (technical properties, origin of raw material, potential trade-off between bioplastics and food production). The results highlighted that the most important behavioural factor is the purchase intentions, followed by control of perceived cost and subjective norm. It is interesting to emphasize that the cost of bioplastics compared to conventional plastics is a key variable in the choices of many Italian consumers. The results provided can be useful to the manufacturing industries to better understand the consumers’ attitudes towards bioplastics.

One of the assumptions in stated preference studies is the stability of respondents’ preferences. This assumption might be violated in situations of context dependence, i.e., when the contingent situation influences respondents’ choices. Ambient weather conditions (AWCs) are one element of the context that may influence stated preferences. The literature suggests that AWCs affect people’s emotions, behaviors, and decision-making processes; however, the potential AWCs impact in environmental preference studies has not yet been investigated. This aspect is of high importance because context-dependent choices return biased willingness to pay estimates and affect the subsequent welfare analysis that informs public policy. To shed light on this important aspect of non-market valuation studies, we explore the effect of AWCs on preferences elicited with a Discrete Choice Experiment for ecosystem services management of a Nature Park. Results of a generalized mixed logit model evidenced a significant effect of AWCs on respondents’ choices, with good weather conditions leading to higher preferences and willingness to pay for ecosystem services management. This result, which is consistent with previous psychological studies, raises the issue of sampling design and reveals the importance of a sensitivity analysis of WTP. As this issue is still unexplored in stated preference studies, we also encourage undertaking similar studies to add a priori knowledge for more accurate ex-post calibration of WTP estimates.

This paper addresses an important gap in discrete choice experiments literature regarding the effect of contextual priming on preferences and willingness to pay. Contextual priming arises when the mere context in which a survey takes place–whether interviewees are approached in areas related or unrelated to the target issue under evaluation–can sway stated choices. We found priming to have a significant effect on one of the analyzed attributes associated with managing a natural park. We recommend interviewing participants in locations that are neutral with respect to the attributes under investigation. This procedure would prevent researchers from communicating incorrect recommendations to policymakers, natural resource planners, and managers.

Scientific evidence suggests that emotions affect actual human decision-making, particularly in highly emotionally situations such as human-wildlife interactions. In this study we assess the role of fear on preferences for wildlife conservation, using a discrete choice experiment. The sample was split into two treatment groups and a control. In the treatment groups the emotion of fear towards wildlife was manipulated using two different pictures of a wolf, one fearful and one reassuring, which were presented to respondents during the experiment. Results were different for the two treatments. The assurance treatment lead to higher preferences and willingness to pay for the wolf, compared to the fear treatment and the control, for several population sizes. On the other hand, the impact of the fear treatment was lower than expected and only significant for large populations of wolves, in excess of 50 specimen. Overall, the study suggests that emotional choices may represent a source of concern for the assessment of stable preferences. The impact of emotional choices is likely to be greater in situations where a wildlife-related topic is highly emphasized, positively or negatively, by social networks, mass media, and opinion leaders. When stated preferences towards wildlife are affected by the emotional state of fear due to contextual external stimuli, welfare analysis does not reflect stable individual preferences and may lead to sub-optimal conservation policies. Therefore, while more research is recommended for a more accurate assessment, it is advised to control the decision context during surveys for potential emotional choices.

Psychological research has long demonstrated that preferences can be influenced by stimuli coming from the environment. Music, as an external stimulus influencing people behaviours, purchasing processes and spending, has been widely analysed in consumer behaviour and marketing literature. Here, we focus on the effect of music genres on preferences and willingness to pay for selected ecosystem services of a Nature Park when they are elicited with a Discrete Choice Experiment. This aspect is important in non-market valuation because music can represent an element of context-dependence for the assessment of individual choices, so that the assumption of preference stability does not hold, and welfare estimates may be biased. The results of a generalized mixed logit model evidenced a significant effect of music on preferences. If elicited preferences depend on the context on which the survey is implemented, wrong information to decision makers is provided when the choice context is altered by an uncontrolled external stimulus. This result is particularly important for applied researchers and policy makers. First, the use of protocols and guidelines that instruct respondents about the ambient background when answering a questionnaire is highly recommended, particularly for online surveys. Second, specific genres of music should be used in educational and ecosystem services conservation campaigns and also piped in visitor centres and virtual tours to encourage nature conservation and improve visitors’ sensitiveness for the environment.

Recently, urban beekeeping has been recognized as an important activity capable of generating many environmental, economic, and social benefits for society. Urban beekeeping is considered a valuable activity that balances the increase in honey production and urban biodiversity conservation in a sustainable way. However, there is no available literature on citizens’ perceptions and willingness to support urban beekeeping at the local level financially. This study investigated the citizens’ perceptions and willingness to pay (WTP) for urban beekeeping in a case study in Italy. To this end, an online survey was administered with a sample of citizens of the Taino municipality near the Milan metropolitan area, where there is a project to realize an urban apiary. At the end of data collection, 153 citizens completed the questionnaire, corresponding to approximately 5% of inhabitants. The results highlighted that for most respondents, the main benefits provided by urban apiaries are related to the awareness and educational activities on the role of honey bees in the urban environment. Besides, the results showed that 60.1% of respondents are willing to contribute financially to the construction of the municipal apiary through a one-time donation, while the remaining 39.9% said they were not willing to contribute financially, citing reasons for protest. The average WTP was estimated at € 22.21 per person, corresponding to a total value of € 48,742.24. The findings can be considered a starting point to help decision-makers understand the importance of urban beekeeping not only from an environmental but also from a socio-economic point of view.

Alpine pastures generate important ecosystem services, some closely related to the environment, others to historical and cultural aspects. The economic valuation of these services helps their recognition in public policies, thus encouraging their conservation and improvement. Discrete Choice Experiments are particularly useful in estimating ecosystem services as they allow the evaluation of each individual ecosystem service, allowing for policy modulation. However, preferences and willingness to pay may be influenced by some heuristics that respondents adopt when making their choices. The present study contributes to the Attribute-Non-Attendance (ANA) literature by analyzing the effect of serial ANA on WTP for the improvement of the ecosystem services of an Alpine pasture, the Entrelor pasture located in Val d’Aosta (North-West Italy). The novelty of this study is that we investigated ANA by asking a first group of respondents which attributes were ignored during choices, and a second group which attributes they considered. Our results show that considering ANA matters in DCE. In particular, framing the question positively (which attributes were attended) yields differences in marginal WTPs that are significantly and systematically higher for all the attributes. Conversely, with negative framing, differences in marginal WTP seem to be insignificant and unstable both in terms of magnitude and sign. Moreover, positively framing the ANA question can be more informative, as ANA appears more frequently. These results suggest that respondents probably do not feel judged for not having adopted the expected degree of attention with a positively framed ANA question.

CITATION: Nikodinoska, N. et al. 2014. Tourists’ perceptions and willingness to pay for the control of Opuntia stricta invasion in protected areas: A case study from South Africa. Koedoe, 56(1). doi:10.4102/koedoe.v56i1.1214

In the mid-1980s, forest bathing was established in Japan to improve citizens’ physical and mental health. In the literature, many studies have investigated the role of forest bathing in decreasing people’s stress and anxiety as well as in reducing hypertension and coronary artery disease. Forest bathing is also a practice with important social and economic implications at a local level. This study investigated the economic value of forest bathing in a case study in northern Italy (i.e., the Parco del Respiro, in Trentino-Alto Adige) using the Zonal Travel Cost Method. To achieve this aim, 243 forest bathers in the study area were interviewed in the summer of 2022. The findings highlighted that an actively managed forest with an average–low amount of deadwood and clean open areas is the scenario preferred by participants. In addition, the results of the Zonal Travel Cost Method showed a relevant annual consumer surplus of EUR 8700 for the forest bathing activity in the study area, corresponding to EUR 35.80 per visit per person.