Market and Nonmarket Valuation of NorthCarolina’s Tundra Swans among Hunters,Wildlife Watchers, and the Public

摘要

Wildlife-related tourism represents an important and growing economic sector for many ruralcommunities and may be inadequately considered during regional planning. Providing robust estimates ofwildlife values can help address this challenge. We used both market and nonmarket valuation methods toestimate the value of tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) in North Carolina, USA, and compared tundra swanvalues among hunters, wildlife watchers, and general public. Wildlife watchers reported the greatestwillingness-to-pay (US$35.2/wildlife watcher/yr), followed by hunters (US$30.53/hunter/yr), and residents(US$16.27/resident/yr). We used the Impact Analysis for Planning system software to estimate marketvalues or economic activity associated with tundra swans. Tundra swan hunters spent an average of US$408.34/hunter/year. Depending on assumptions over the substitutability of tundra swan hunting, weestimate that it generates value added of between US$306,155/year and US$920,161/year for the stateeconomy. Wildlife watchers spent an average of US$171.25/wildlife watcher/year. We estimate that thisgenerates value added of between US$14 million/year and US$42.9 million/year for the state economy, againdepending on assumptions about whether watching tundra swans would be substituted with other leisureactivities in eastern North Carolina or out-of-state. Compared with studies of international nature tourism,we found relatively low leakage rates (i.e., loss of economic benefits outside the study region), suggesting thatenhancing opportunities for hunting and wildlife-viewing may be an effective economic developmentstrategy for rural areas in the United States. Presenting both market and nonmarket values provides a morecomplete picture of the value of wildlife and may facilitate more effective management decisions; therefore,we recommend that both market and nonmarket values be considered to optimize tradeoffs betweendevelopment and wildlife recreation.