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What are tourists willing to pay for securing the survival of a flagship species? The case of protection of the Ethiopian wolf

Author

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  • Tafesse Estifanos

    (2720University of Western Australia, Australia; Hawassa University, Ethiopia)

  • Maksym Polyakov

    (2720University of Western Australia, Australia)

  • Ram Pandit

    (2720University of Western Australia, Australia; Hokkaido University, Japan)

  • Atakelty Hailu

    (2720University of Western Australia, Australia)

  • Michael Burton

    (2720University of Western Australia, Australia)

Abstract

Ecotourism can be an important tool for protecting biodiversity in developing countries. Tourists have preferences for viewing charismatic species and for their conservation, but our understanding of these preferences remains limited. Using choice experiment surveys, we investigate tourists’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for the protection of the Ethiopian wolf ( Canis simensis ) in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park. Results from a random parameter logit model show that tourists were willing to pay up to US$5.82/day/trip for increasing the wolf population from 200 to a more viable number of 250 but very little for a more substantial increase. Tourists also valued increases in the size of the protected area (PA) and access to the wolf habitat. The WTP is found to be dependent on tourists’ prior experience to Ethiopian PAs and whether they had viewed other unique species in the park. The findings suggest opportunities for ecotourism to support the Ethiopian wolf, which is in a critical state, and that the primary motivation for tourists’ support might be due to the wolf’s existence value.

Suggested Citation

  • Tafesse Estifanos & Maksym Polyakov & Ram Pandit & Atakelty Hailu & Michael Burton, 2021. "What are tourists willing to pay for securing the survival of a flagship species? The case of protection of the Ethiopian wolf," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(1), pages 45-69, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:27:y:2021:i:1:p:45-69
    DOI: 10.1177/1354816619880430
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Nguyen, Minh-Hoang, 2023. "Investigating urban residents' involvement in biodiversity conservation in protected areas: Empirical evidence from Vietnam," Thesis Commons z2hjv, Center for Open Science.

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