Valuing Ecosystem Services under Climate Risk: A Case of Recreational Fisheries in the Florida Everglades

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems are at great risk from climate change and sea level rise, potentially resulting in loss of habitat and economic costs to society. This study aimed to investigate whether users’ attitudes toward climate risks have any bearing on how they value ecosystem services and express the desire to mitigate risks. The study used psychometric measures to characterize users’ attitudes toward climate risk. The findings were integrated into an economic discrete choice model to elicit public willingness to pay (WTP) for improved fishery and overall ecosystem health resulting from increased freshwater inflows in the Florida Everglades. The respondents’ WTP was strongly dependent on their perceptions of the risk posed by sea level rise. Adjusting WTP for risk perception resulted in a 40.03% increase in annual estimated recreational benefits from unadjusted WTP. Water management agencies in Florida may wish to consider people’s attitudes toward risk when designing their public education and engagement programs in support of ecosystem restoration.