China may be the region of the world where the most animal species face extinction due to conflicts with humans. The rapid development of land for use by humans poses a serious threat to many animal species. Considering the present scenario, the list of endangered animals is expected to grow in the coming years. The conservation of an endangered species can generate a wide variety of use and non-use values. It is important to consider all the values (including non-market values) when we make proper decisions. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is a survey-based technique that can be used to estimate the values of non-market resources. This paper presents two case studies on economic valuation of black-faced spoonbill conservation in Macao and Asians’ willingness to pay to conserve marine turtle in four Asian countries using CVM.
Results/Conclusions
Our results show that the total benefits of black-faced spoonbill conservation in Macao are greater than the total costs. Therefore, setting aside the critical habitat for black-faced spoonbill conservation will result in net benefits, which can increase the social welfare. Results of the marine turtle study indicate that the respondents in all surveyed cities have a positive willingness to pay for marine turtle conservation, and that cultural differences are not important factors affecting respondents’ willingness to pay for marine turtle conservation. The collaboration of developing countries in Asia could potentially generate enough funds to finance International Conservation Program for protecting endangered marine turtles.