Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia

We examined the preferences for wetland conservation among urban and rural dwellers in Malaysia. A choice experiment using face-to-face interviews with urban and rural households was employed. Wetland conservation alternatives were described in terms of environmental protection zones, biodiversity p...

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Main Authors: Hassan, Suziana, Boye Olsen, Soren, Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/82682/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/82682/1/Urban-rural%20divides.pdf
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author Hassan, Suziana
Boye Olsen, Soren
Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark
author_facet Hassan, Suziana
Boye Olsen, Soren
Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark
author_sort Hassan, Suziana
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description We examined the preferences for wetland conservation among urban and rural dwellers in Malaysia. A choice experiment using face-to-face interviews with urban and rural households was employed. Wetland conservation alternatives were described in terms of environmental protection zones, biodiversity protection, recreational services and flood. Each alternative was connected to a cost for the household, which was a reduction in subsidies for daily goods. Using a latent class model, we identified three groups with distinctly different preferences. The first group comprised mainly rural people with negative willingness to pay for conservation, while the second group included mostly urban people who favored wetland conservation and exhibited positive preference for wetland attributes. The third group was also consisted of mainly urban people who exhibited both negative and positive preferences toward different aspects of conservation. All three groups, however, asserted a strong preference for significant flood risk reduction. The results indicated potential conflicts over wetland conservation impacts and targets. Accordingly, the divide in preferences should be taken into account in policy-making, and the insights provided here may inform efforts to avoid conflict across the population.
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spelling upm-826822020-08-26T04:27:35Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/82682/ Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia Hassan, Suziana Boye Olsen, Soren Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark We examined the preferences for wetland conservation among urban and rural dwellers in Malaysia. A choice experiment using face-to-face interviews with urban and rural households was employed. Wetland conservation alternatives were described in terms of environmental protection zones, biodiversity protection, recreational services and flood. Each alternative was connected to a cost for the household, which was a reduction in subsidies for daily goods. Using a latent class model, we identified three groups with distinctly different preferences. The first group comprised mainly rural people with negative willingness to pay for conservation, while the second group included mostly urban people who favored wetland conservation and exhibited positive preference for wetland attributes. The third group was also consisted of mainly urban people who exhibited both negative and positive preferences toward different aspects of conservation. All three groups, however, asserted a strong preference for significant flood risk reduction. The results indicated potential conflicts over wetland conservation impacts and targets. Accordingly, the divide in preferences should be taken into account in policy-making, and the insights provided here may inform efforts to avoid conflict across the population. Elsevier 2019 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/82682/1/Urban-rural%20divides.pdf Hassan, Suziana and Boye Olsen, Soren and Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark (2019) Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia. Land Use Policy, 5. pp. 226-237. ISSN 0264-8377; ESSN: 1873-5754 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.03.015
spellingShingle Hassan, Suziana
Boye Olsen, Soren
Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark
Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia
title Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia
title_full Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia
title_fullStr Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia
title_short Urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in Malaysia
title_sort urban-rural divides in preferences for wetland conservation in malaysia
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/82682/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/82682/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/82682/1/Urban-rural%20divides.pdf