Benefit-cost analysis of becoming certified pollinator friendly

Despite significant drop in pollinator abundance, no studies exist on the benefits and costs of pollinator con-servation in the public domain. An in-person survey was conducted at three large, public US universities to estimate benefits to become Bee Campus USA certified. We test whether different types of reminders on existing student sustainability fees affect Willingness to Pay. Costs of achieving this certification per university were obtained. Net Present Value demonstrates that the net benefits to each school are largely positive, except under the most restrictive assumption. Information reminders of existing fees lead to little change in support of pollinator conservation.

Automated summary

Despite the lack of studies on the benefits and costs of pollinator conservation, a survey was conducted among three US universities to assess the benefits of becoming Bee Campus USA certified. The study also examined the impact of reminders on student sustainability fees on willingness to pay. The results showed that the net benefits for each university were mostly positive, with information reminders having little effect on support for pollinator conservation.