Does Money Fly? The Economic Value of Migratory Birdwatching in Xochimilco, Mexico — Oak Academic Publishing
Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
Does Money Fly? The Economic Value of Migratory Birdwatching in Xochimilco, Mexico
Becario del Programa de Becas Posdoctorales en la UNAM, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
1 Becario del Programa de Becas Posdoctorales en la UNAM, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
This paper estimates the economic value that national and international birdwatchers have to keep an urban wetland in this case, Xochimilco (Mexico), as a place of rest, food and/or shelter for migratory birds from North America. For this purpose, it is resorted to surveys and contingent valuation that estimates the willingness to pay (WTP) per year of these watchers. The best estimate indicates that national watchers are willing to pay approximately US $79 per year, while international, US $296. Using these estimates, it is calculated that the economic value of the bird migration environmental service for this urban wetland is located between US $2836 and US $3999 per hectare. This found value can work as an input for decision makers when faced with projects and/or policies that may face different objectives.
US Fish & Wildlife Service (2013) Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis. Addendum to the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. Report 2011-1, Division of Economics, Arlington.
Cantú, J.C. and Sánchez, M.E. (2011) Observación de aves: Industria millonaria. CONABIO. Biodiversitas, 97, 10-15.
Llorente-Bousquets, J. and Ocegueda, S. (2008) Estado del conocimiento de la biota, en Capital natural de México, vol. I: Conocimiento actual de la biodiversidad. Conabio, México, 283-322.
Navarro, A.G., Rebón, M.F., Gordillo, A., Peterson, T., Berlanga, H. and Sánchez, L. (2014) Biodiversidad de las aves en México. Revista Mexicana de la Biodiversidad, 85, 476-495.
Berlanga, H., Rodríguez-Contreras, V., Oliveras de Ita, A., Escobar, M., Rodríguez, L., Vieyra, J. and Vargas, V. (2008) Red de Conocimiento sobre las Aves de México (AVESMX). CONABIO.
Navarro, S.A. and Gordillo, A. (2006) Catálogo de autoridad taxonómica de la avifauna de México. Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM. Base de datos snib-CONABIO, proyecto CS010.
Newton, I. (2008) The Migration Ecology of Birds. Academic Press, Waltham, Massachusetts.
UNEP/CMS (2009) A Bird’s Eye View on Flyways: A Brief Tour by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Bonn.
Berlanga, H. and Rodríguez, V. (SF) Las aves migratorias: A prueba de muros. Iniciativa para la conservación de las aves de América del Norte. CONABIO.
de Silva, H.G., Grosselet, M., Meléndez, A.H. and Wilson, R.G. (2006) Records of Sternini from the Valley of México. Cotinga, 26, 60-62.
Calderón, J.R. (2011) Distribución y uso de hábitat de la avifauna en La Ciénega Grande de Xochimilco y su utilidad para educación ambiental. Tesis para obtener el grado de Maestro en Biología. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México.
Ramírez-Bastida, P., Varona-Graniel, D.E. and de Sucre-Medrano, A.E. (2011) Aves en los relictos de un gran lago: Los humedales de la Ciudad de México y áreas vecinas. El Canto del Centzontle, 2, 72-86.
Hernández, C.A. and Meléndez, A.H. (1985) La riqueza de aves de Xochimilco. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, División Ciencias Biológicas y Salud, México, D.F.
GDF (2006) Programa de Manejo del área Natural Protegida con carácter de Zona de Conservación Ecológica “Ejidos de Xochimilco y San Gregorio Atlapulco”. Gaceta Oficial del Distrito Federal, Ciudad de México, México, 164.
Aguilar, A.G. (2008) Peri-Urbanization, Illegal Settlements and Environmental Impact in Mexico City. Cities, 25, 133-145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2008.02.003
Brouwer, R., van Beukering, P. and Sultanian, E. (2008) The Impact of the Bird Flu on Public Willingness to Pay for the Protection of Migratory Birds. Ecological Economics, 64, 575-585. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.04.001
Stevens, T.H., Echeverria, J., Glass, R.J., Hager, T. and More, T.A. (1991) Measuring the Existence Value of Wildlife: What Do CVM Estimates Really Show? Land Economics, 67, 390-400. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3146546
Ojea, E. and Loureiro, M.L. (2007) Altruistic, Egoistic and Biospheric Values in Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Wildlife. Ecological Economics, 63, 807-814. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.02.003
Stoll, J.R., Ditton, R.B. and Eubanks, T.L. (2006) Platte River Birding and the Spring Migration: Hummans, Value, and Unique Ecological Resources. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 11, 241-254. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10871200600802939
Menkhaus, S. and Lober, D.J. (1996) International Ecoturism and the Valuation of Tropical Rainforests in Costa Rica. Journal of Environmental Management, 47, 1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jema.1996.0031
Kellermann, J.L., Johnson, M.D., Stercho, A.M. and Hackett, S.C. (2008) Ecological and Economic Services Provided by Birds on Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Farms. Conservation Biology, 22, 1177-1185.
Naidoo, R. and Adamowicz, W. (2005) Economic Benefits of Biodiversity Exceed Costs of Conservation at an African Rainforest Reserve. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102, 16712-16716. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0508036102
Boyle, K.J. and Bishop, R. (1987) Valuing Wildlife in Benefit-Cost Analyses: A Case Study Involving Endangered Species. Water Resources Research, 23, 943-950. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/WR023i005p00943
Sultatian, E. and Van Beukering, P.J.H. (2007) Economics of Migratory Birds. Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management. Working Paper.
Boyle, K.J., Johnson, R., McCollum, D.W., Desvousges, W.H., Dunford, R. and Hundson, S. (1994) An Investigation of Part-Whole Biases in Contingent Valuation Studies. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 27, 64-83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jeem.1994.1026
Rubin, J., Helfand, G. and Loomis, J. (1991) A Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Northern Spotted Owl. Journal of Forestry, 12, 25-30.
Navrud, S. and Mungatana, E.D. (1994) Environmental Valuation in Developing Countries: The Recreational Value of Wildlife Viewing. Ecological Economics, 11, 135-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0921-8009(94)90024-8
Clark, W.R. (1987) Economics and Marketing of “Canada’s Capistrano”. In: Diamond and Filion, Eds., The Value of Birds, International Council for Bird Preservation Technical Publication 6, 31-48.
Merlín-Uribe, Y., Contreras-Hernández, A., Astier-Calderón, M., Jensen, O.P., Zaragoza, R. and Zambrano, L. (2013) Urban Expansion into a Protected Natural Area in Mexico City: Alternative Management Scenarios. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 56, 398-411. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2012.683686
Wigle, J. (2010) The “Xochimilco Model” for Managing Irregular Settlements in Conservation Land in Mexico. Cities, 27, 337-347. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2010.04.003
Merlín-Uribe, Y., González-Esquivel, C.E., Contreras-Hernández, A., Zambrano, L., Moreno-Casasola, P. and Astier, M. (2013) Environmental and Socio-Economic Sustainability of Chinampas (Raised Beds) in Xochimilco, Mexico City. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 11, 216-233. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2012.726128
Loomis, J.B. and González-Cabán, A. (1998) A Willingness-to-Pay Function for Protecting Acres of Spotted Owl Habitat from Fire. Ecological Economics, 25, 315-322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(97)00044-X
Wilson, C. and Tisdell, C. (2005) How Knowledge Affects Payment to Conserve an Endangered Bird. Working Papers on Economics, Ecology and the Environment. Working Paper No. 116. The University of Queensland.
Myers, K., Parsons, G. and Edwards, P.E.T. (2010) Measuring the Recreational Use Value of Migratory Shorebirds on the Delaware Bay. Marine Resources Economics, 25, 247-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.5950/0738-1360-25.3.247
Leea, C.-K., Leeb, J.-H., Kimc, T.-K. and Mjelde, J.W. (2010) Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Bird-Watching Tour and Interpretative Services Using a Choice Experiment. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18, 695-708. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669581003602333
Kotchen, M. and Reiling, S.D. (2000) Environmental Attitudes, Motivations, and Contingent Valuation of Nonuse Values: A Case Study Involving Endangered Species. Ecological Economics, 32, 93-107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(99)00069-5
Macmillan, D.C., Philip, L., Hanley, N. and Alvarez-Farizio, B. (2002) Valuing the Non-Market Benefits of Wild Goose Conservation: A Comparison of Interview and Group-Based Approaches. Ecological Economics, 43, 49-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(02)00182-9
Hvenegaard, G.T., Butler, J.R. and Krystofiak, D.K. (1989) Economic Values of Bird Watching at Point Pelee National Park, Canada. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 17, 526-531.
Kaval, P. and Roskruge, M. (2009) The Value of Native Bird Conservation: A New Zealand Case Study. Department of Economics Working Paper Series, Number 09/11. University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/3650