Application of willingness to pay concept to forest management in Kosuge [Japan] Village
2009
Opoku-Boamah, N.C.(Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture, Atsugi, Kanagawa (Japan)) | Sato, T. | Minowa, M.
The fixed government financial support, rising labor and operation costs, and falling wood price coupled with high influx of foreign wood products are influencing forest production and management in Kosuge and Japan as a whole. The research aimed at finding a workable strategy for forest production and management in order to enhance benefits in Kosuge Village by using the contingent valuation method (CVM) to investigate the willingness of residents to contribute to forest management and analyzing its implications on forest management. The study was carried out in Kosuge Village in the Yamanashi prefecture. In all, 48 house-holds representing about 13% of total house-holds were surveyed. Data was collected using face-to-face interview. The CVM, using the referendum dichotomous choice approach with a follow-up was employed to obtain information about the willingness to pay (WTP) of the Kosuge residents. The findings revealed that the residents were aware of the benefits of forest, and indicated their willingness to participate in a program aimed at improving forest and hence their readiness to pay a premium. Thus, the mean WTP per month of each household was 1,259 yen and the median WTP was 1,125 yen. The study therefore provides decision makers with information that residents are willing to make monthly contributions to forest improvement programs. The results of applications to forest management system were also taken into consideration.
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