Valuation of freshwater resources and sustainable management in poverty dominated areas.

摘要

This study is designed to reveal the tradeoffs between anthropogenic activities and freshwater ecosystems; discuss different management options for the restoration of freshwater resources in poverty dominated areas; measure the total economic value for freshwater ecosystem services and; to evaluate alternative options in designing a contingent valuation survey in poverty dominated areas.;The main objectives of paper one are to identify threats to the River Swat ecosystem and design a management plan to improve water quality and resilience of the system against floods due to climate change. River Swat watershed is located in the north west of Pakistan. During the past three decades, increased human population and growth in agriculture and tourism activities have severely degraded the river system. A three step approach was followed to achieve the mentioned objectives. In the first step, an interdisciplinary team randomly selected ten different sites along the main river and observed the biophysical characteristics of the river. In the second step, an oral history ecological approach was used to collect information on the dynamics of the biophysical characteristics of the system and identify threats responsible for degradation of the system. In the third step, the interdisciplinary team recommended a management plan that could improve the water quality and resilience of the river system against flood in a sustainable way.;Paper two measures the economic value for water quality improvement of the river. A contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to interview a sample of 243 households, selected from Swat valley and downstream districts through a stratified random sampling approach. Before asking respondents about their willingness to pay (WTP), the existing water quality situation and the management plan, recommended by the interdisciplinary team, were explained. This paper also estimated the total economic value for water quality improvement under mandatory payment to local government. Though the present value aggregate benefit from mandatory payment to government is half of the amount from donation to a local NGO, it is still sufficient to cover the total cost on the mentioned management plan. Furthermore, a mandatory program may be more feasible than a voluntary program where payment is not assured.;Paper three explores the sensitivity of households' stated WTP to CVM survey tools. CVM is widely used for cost and benefit estimation of natural resource management (NRM) programs. However, due to questionable experiences in developing countries, additional research is needed on CVM survey design and administration and about the robustness of results to changes in survey elements. That's why this paper is designed to tests the sensitivity of household's stated WTP when payments are mandatory versus voluntary and whether they are to a government agency or a local non-government organization (NGO). To achieve these objectives, a case study of the river Swat water quality improvement was used. To design appropriate and realistic contingent valuation question scenarios, households in Swat valley were asked about their opinion on the provision and management of public goods. The results reveal people's lack of trust on payment to government for water quality improvement, possibly because of inefficiency in funds allocation and high corruption. Another possibility might be a strategic behavioral response by the households. In replying to donation to a local NGO for water quality improvement, respondents know that they will not be required to donate to NGO; therefore, they can state a fairly high value. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).