Economic Values, Ethics, and Ecosystem Health

摘要

Economic valuations of changes in ecosystem health can provide quantitative211u001einformation for social decisions. However, willingness to pay for ecosystem 211u001ehealth may be motivated by an environmental ethic regarding the right thing to 211u001edo. Counterpreferential choices based on an environmental ethic are inconsistent 211u001ewith the normative basis of welfare economics. In this paper, we examine some of 211u001ethe characteristics of willingness to pay values elicited using the contingent 211u001evaluation method. Sequential contingent willingness to pay values for different 211u001elevels of protection of high-elevation spruce-fir forests in the southern 211u001eAppalachian Mountains were elicited from a random sample of households along with 211u001esocio-economic and other information. An empirical analysis indicated that 211u001ewillingness to pay distributions and average willingness to pay did not vary with 211u001ethe level of protection. We discuss various factors that may explain our results 211u001eincluding lexicographic preferences, low marginal values, lack of instrument 211u001esensitivity, or misrepresentation of the ecosystem services valued by the public.