Willingness to accept compensation for afromontane forest ecosystems conservation

This study explored local communities? willingness to accept compensation for the conservation of Desa?a state forest, which is located in northern Ethiopia. For this purpose, a sample of two hundred forty rural households living around the forest was randomly selected. A choice experiment approach encompassing three forest-related choice attributes namely, biodiversity, soil and water conservation and agro-forestry, was used to elicit willingness to accept compensation for conservation of the forest. Mixed logit model that helps account for differences in household preferences was then used to estimate marginal willingness to accept compensation for forest conservation. Results show that households would be willing to accept an average compensation of 7.7 USD to work for 5?10 additional days of public work on soil and water conservation as part of contributing to Desa?a forest conservation. On the other hand, households? preferences to work on biodiversity conservation and agroforestry expansion were found to be negligible as the respective marginal willingness to accept estimates show. Given costs that the government of Ethiopia incurs for environmental rehabilitation programs through soil and water conservation, strengthening such investments in and around forestlands could prove useful in creating incentives for households to sustainably conserve and use forests.

Automated summary

The study found that households are willing to accept an average compensation of 7.7 USD to work for 5-10 additional days of public work on soil and water conservation as part of contributing to Desa?a forest conservation. However, households' preferences to work on biodiversity conservation and agroforestry expansion were found to be negligible. Therefore, strengthening investments in environmental rehabilitation programs through soil and water conservation in forestlands could create incentives for households to sustainably conserve and use forests.