Social Preferences and Choice Experiments in Biodiversity Conservation in Manu National Park, Peru

Gutiérrez C.A.M.; Quispe C.Z.V.; Labán D.O.C. · Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais (2026) · DOI: 10.59072/rper.vi73.765

Resumen

In Peru, Protected Natural Areas (PNAs) represent 18.2% of the national territory and are a fundamental tool for biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services. Among all the PNAs in Peru, Manu National Park (MNP) stands out as one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, declared a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. In recent years, the MNP has been facing problems of biodiversity loss, among other reasons due to land use change, illegal logging, and the advance of illegal mining. Thus, the objective of this study was to estimate the economic value of biodiversity conservation in this PNA using attributes based on representative indicators. A total of 2,240 choice experiments were conducted with 560 heads of households in the city of Lima, based on face-to-face surveys, assuming homogeneity of individual preferences and using a conditional logit model to estimate marginal willingness to pay. Thus, the attributes most valued by society are the reduction in endangered plant species (from 24 to 8): 4.79 PEN/month (≅ 1.29 USD/month); the reduction in deforestation (from 1,400 ha/year to 300 ha/year): 3.42 PEN/month (≅ 0.92 USD/month); and the reduction in the loss of ecosystem functionality (from 40% to 0%): 1.61 PEN/month (≅ 0.43 USD/month). These results may contribute to the design of environmental policies linked to the implementation of in situ biodiversity conservation programs, or to the conservation of charismatic species and/or habitats as substantial attributes of tourism activity in general. © (2026), (APEQ - Associacao Portuguesa para o Estudo do Quaternario). All rights reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas