Contingent Valuation Study of Groundwater Recharge Service of Chalan Beel Wetland, Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64102/rujssbs.0490Keywords:
Chalan Beel ecosystem, Contingent valuation method, Double bounded dichotomous choice, Groundwater rechargeAbstract
Chalan Beel, the largest wetland in northern Bangladesh, offers various ecosystem services that support human well-being and sustain the ecological balance of the region. Among these services groundwater recharge is critically important for maintaining the underground water levels of the aquifers. However, because of the non-market nature of groundwater recharge service, scant attention has been given by the researchers to valuing this important ecosystem service. This study aims to estimate the economic value of groundwater recharge service provided by Chalan Beel using the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). To achieve the objective, primary data are collected from 204 randomly selected households across three upazilas of Natore district. A double-bounded dichotomous choice (DBDC) framework is employed to estimate households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for continuation of groundwater recharge service. Estimation results show that 64.71% of the respondents are willing to pay the proposed bids for continuation of groundwater recharge service of Chalan Beel, while 35.29% rejected them. The regression results reveal that households’ income, education, knowledge of ecosystem services, and environmental awareness have a positive and significant influence on WTP, whereas distance from the wetland negatively affects their WTP. Using the regression results, the mean WTP is estimated at BDT 17.04 per household per month and based on the total number of households in Natore district, the aggregate annual economic value of groundwater recharge service provided by Chalan Beel is estimated at approximately BDT 102.64 million (equivalent to 0.855 million USD). The findings provide significant implication for policy formulation and sustainable management strategies to protect the ecosystem of Chalan Beel amid increasing anthropogenic and environmental pressures.
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