Incorporating use values into ecosystem specific accounts: Recreational value generated by saltmarsh at a mixed ecosystem site

Abstract

The single-site travel cost model is a method typically used to estimate the recreational value of open-access natural areas. However, when utilised at sites where multiple ecosystem types are present, the proportion of value that is generated by each ecosystem can be unclear. Natural capital frameworks, such as the UN's System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, require values that are ecosystem specific. Therefore, recreational values from single-site travel cost models may be difficult to incorporate. In this study, we estimate the use value of a protected coastal site using a single-site travel cost model and demonstrate three approaches that could be employed to assign a proportion of the total use value to one of the key ecosystems at the site, a saltmarsh. The welfare estimate for the entire site is €4.1 million per year. The value that can be attributed to saltmarsh ranges from €280,154 to €1.7 million, depending on the approach used. We discuss the relevance of these approaches for different contexts, including natural capital accounting.