Households’ Willingness to Pay for Wetland Conservation in Nepal: The Role of Perceived Ecosystem Services and Disservices in Ghodaghodi Lake

Abstract

The full value of wetland ecosystem services has been misunderstood in decision-making processes, leading to the continuous decline of wetlands. In this study, an estimation of non-market economic benefits of a wetland (Ghodaghodi Lake in Nepal) was conducted based on the premise of households' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the conservation of wetland ecosystems. Empirical results, based on contingent valuation method (CVM), show that households are willing to offer some 1.82 million USD annually to communities for the sustainable use and management of the wetland ecosystems. Interplay of perceptions of ecosystem services, comprising of existence of biodiversity, water regulation, cultural values, and disservices, such as health risk and land-use restriction, on WTP are analyzed and discussed. Policies and strategies suitable for aquatic Eco residency, on the long-term ecological sustainability are recommended.