Estimating indigenous cultural values of freshwater: A choice experiment approach to Maori values in New Zealand

摘要

Indigenous cultural values of freshwater resources are important in many communities, however, they are not always included in non-market valuations. While measuring cultural values can be challenging, the omission could lead to incomplete information for policy implications. This paper reports results of a choice experiment study which included a Maori cultural attribute. This attribute was considered alongside economic, recreational and environmental attributes of freshwater, all of which are impacted by the changing land-use in Canterbury, New Zealand. The results show positive willingness-to-pay for all attributes where change from poor to excellent habitat quality ($123/year) was valued highest. The cultural attribute, specifically, was valued in mid-range between economic, recreational and environmental attributes. Estimated willingness-to-pay were $40/year by Maori, and $28/year by the general public, to enhance Maori cultural attributes, where Maori willingness-to-pay is indicative only due to a small number of respondents. Importantly, this demonstrates support for the management outcome for cultural attributes, which is valued not only by those who directly participate in this use. This suggests that non-market valuation practitioners should be aware of indigenous cultural values, the omission of which could have impacts on welfare estimates and subsequent decision making. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.