Valuing black-faced spoonbill conservation in Macao: A policy and contingent valuation study

Macao is an important destination for black-faced spoonbills' over-wintering. However, the rapid economic growth and tourism industry development over the past decades have resulted in conflicts between biodiversity conservation and economic development. This paper examines the public's willingness to pay (WTP) for black-faced spoonbill conservation in Macao using the contingent valuation method (CVM). A secondary objective is to investigate the potential effect of payment vehicles under a mandatory surcharge and a voluntary payment using a split sample. Estimated household's WTP for black-faced spoonbill conservation in Macao ranges from MOP18.03 (US$2.25) to MOP38.56 (US$4.82) per household per month in five years depending on payment schemes. The results indicate that the conservation value is strongly associated to the population's ability to pay, increasing with income levels. We find that, when confronted with a mandatory payment mechanism, respondents state a higher WTP than when a voluntary payment mechanism is used. We use the benefit estimates in combination with the cost estimates to consider the efficiency of the conservation program. The results show that the program has estimated benefits greater than costs. Our study provides insights of Macao local household preferences for black-faced spoonbill conservation and will help policy makers in resolving the conflict between development and conservation.