Browsing by Author "Minaya, Carlos"
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Publication Scope sensitivity in economic valuation of biodiversity conservation in Peru: The case of Manu National Park(2025) Minaya, Carlos; Orihuela, Carlos; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Dávila, José; Chinguel, DuberDesigning biodiversity conservation policies requires not only estimating social benefits but also confirming that results exhibit sensitivity to scope - a necessary methodological condition for validity. This means that willingness to pay (WTP) should increase monotonically with the size or quantity of the goods. This study evaluates that effect in the economic valuation of biodiversity conservation in Manu National Park, Peru, based on specific attributes. A total of 2,240 choice experiments were conducted with household heads in Lima through face-to-face surveys, and logit models were applied to estimate marginal WTP. Results show that the most valued attributes are reducing endangered plant species (PEN 5.08/month) and reducing deforestation (PEN 4.69/month); however, no attribute showed sensitivity to range. Latent class analysis identified two heterogeneous preference groups regarding biodiversity conservation in this protected area. The “pro-conservation” group (78.3%) assigned positive and significant values to all attributes except the reduction from 24 to 8 endangered fauna species. This lack of scope sensitivity may stem from Peru’s status as a megadiverse country, where the inherent non-use value of biodiversity alone could justify in situ conservation policies involving modest costs for relatively few species or specific charismatic habitats.