TY - JOUR

T1 - Cost-benefit ratio and empirical examination of the acceptance of heathland maintenance in the Lueneburg Heath nature reserve

AU - Müller, Jan

N1 - Funding Information: The analysis was conducted as part of the research project ‘Fire and pasture as instruments for the maintenance of open landscapes in North-West Germany’, financed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, FKZ 01 LN 0006.

PY - 2004/9/1

Y1 - 2004/9/1

N2 - The cost-benefit ratio of heathland maintenance measures was assessed in the Lueneburg Heath nature reserve in North-West Germany. This nature reserve contains large areas of heathland and is of substantial ecological and historical importance. The heathland can only be preserved by regular maintenance. For this assessment the costs of the maintenance measures were traced and a survey of visitors was carried out. The willingness-to-pay of the visitors for the heathland maintenance was determined as an assessment of the benefit created. Furthermore, the social acceptance of each maintenance measure was examined as this variable can influence the economic data considerably. These aspects represent a basis for the assessment of the net costs and benefits and for the calculation of the net present value (NPV) provided by the maintenance of the area. The results show a substantial positive net benefit of the heathland maintenance as a whole and varying acceptance of the different maintenance measures.

AB - The cost-benefit ratio of heathland maintenance measures was assessed in the Lueneburg Heath nature reserve in North-West Germany. This nature reserve contains large areas of heathland and is of substantial ecological and historical importance. The heathland can only be preserved by regular maintenance. For this assessment the costs of the maintenance measures were traced and a survey of visitors was carried out. The willingness-to-pay of the visitors for the heathland maintenance was determined as an assessment of the benefit created. Furthermore, the social acceptance of each maintenance measure was examined as this variable can influence the economic data considerably. These aspects represent a basis for the assessment of the net costs and benefits and for the calculation of the net present value (NPV) provided by the maintenance of the area. The results show a substantial positive net benefit of the heathland maintenance as a whole and varying acceptance of the different maintenance measures.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

KW - Nordwestdeutschland

KW - Heide

KW - Umweltbezogenes Management

KW - Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=6344280359&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/85110e0f-b803-339a-a152-527e2c24a7a6/

U2 - 10.1080/0964056042000274461

DO - 10.1080/0964056042000274461

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 47

SP - 757

EP - 771

JO - Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

JF - Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

SN - 0964-0568

IS - 5

ER -