Assessments of ecosystem service indicators and stakeholder's willingness to pay for selected ecosystem services in the Chure region of Nepal
Article
Article Title | Assessments of ecosystem service indicators and stakeholder's willingness to pay for selected ecosystem services in the Chure region of Nepal |
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ERA Journal ID | 1998 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Bhandari, Pratima (Author), KC, Mohan (Author), Shrestha, Sujata (Author), Aryal, Achyut (Author) and Shrestha, Uttam Babu (Author) |
Journal Title | Applied Geography |
Journal Citation | 69, pp. 25-34 |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2016 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0143-6228 |
1873-7730 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.02.003 |
Web Address (URL) | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143622816300121 |
Abstract | The Chure region of Nepal—the area sandwiched between the hills in the north and the plains in the south—is considered an ecologically fragile, structurally weak, and highly erosion-prone region. The forest in the Chure region provides several ecosystem services to people living in the downstream areas. However, assessment and quantification of ecosystem services in this region are very limited. This study, conducted in a watershed of the Chure region of western Nepal, combined local users' perspectives with experts' opinions to identify and rank ecosystem services based on land use types, to investigate the downstream users' willingness to pay for ecosystem services, and to explore the socio-economic factors affecting their willingness to pay. The study found that forests offered the highest number of ecosystem goods and services in this area. Local people were familiar with 10 different ecosystem services provided by the watershed and ranked drinking water service at the top. The downstream beneficiaries would be willing to pay a higher amount for drinking water service than they were currently paying if the quality of the service and its sustainability were assured. The amount they were willing to pay for ecosystem services increased significantly with monthly income. The results of this study are useful for other areas in which an upstream–downstream linkage exists and the upstream communities play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem functions and the resulting supply of ecosystem services to the downstream communities. |
Keywords | ecosystem services; Nepal; Himalaya; payment for ecosystem service; watershed |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 410406. Natural resource management |
410404. Environmental management | |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Tribhuvan University, Nepal |
Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal | |
University of Massachusetts, United States | |
Massey University, New Zealand | |
Institute for Agriculture and the Environment | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q364v/assessments-of-ecosystem-service-indicators-and-stakeholder-s-willingness-to-pay-for-selected-ecosystem-services-in-the-chure-region-of-nepal
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