Title: Willingness to pay for conserving a protected area in India: evidence from a contingent valuation method

Authors: Nidhi Yadav; Naresh Chandra Sahu; Dukhabandhu Sahoo

Addresses: School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Jatni Road Argul, Odisha, 752050, India ' School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Jatni Road Argul, Odisha, 752050, India ' School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Jatni Road Argul, Odisha, 752050, India

Abstract: The present study aims to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for the maintenance and protection of the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS), India, using a contingent valuation method (CVM). The required sample data for WTP estimation was collected through an online questionnaire survey from respondents of those three states in India where the sanctuary is located. We selected 406 valid responses to estimate the WTP for conserving wildlife and improving additional facilities in the sanctuary. As per the result, the average WTP per sample respondent was INR 135.05 or USD 1.84 per month. This study highlights the reasons behind WTP and the lack of interest in contributing to the maintenance and protection of the sanctuary. The analysis presented in this study can help environmentalists and tourism policymakers to identify the strengths and deficiencies present in managing protected areas like NCS with regard to their basic requirements and sustainability.

Keywords: economic valuation; CVM; contingent valuation method; zero-inflated Poisson regression model; Natural Chambal Sanctuary; protected area.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2022.126626

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2022 Vol.12 No.3, pp.293 - 314

Received: 28 Mar 2021
Accepted: 06 Nov 2021
Published online: 31 Oct 2022 *

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