Estimating the Non-use Value: the Contigent Valuation Approach on Rural Households in Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Wetlands are unique ecosystem of the earth that provides variety of goods and services to the society. The Hadejia-Nguru wetlands(HNW), being the first site to be identified as wetland of international importance(RAMSAR Site) in Nigeria, is however, facing serious anthropogenic threats. Lack of information on economic value of the wetlands, especially the non-use values has contributed tremendously to its continuous exploitation and determine the factors influencing respondents' willingness to pay for its conservation. The study employed dichotomous choice contingent valuation method(DC-CVM) on 405 systematically sampled households of some upstream communities near the wetland between the months of August to October,2016. The study results showed that 78.8% of the respondents were willing to pay through donation for the conservation of the wetland. The mean WTP value was estimated at N2,290.31 =$7.51 per household, and the aggregate non-use value estimated was N29,366,540,335.11($96,283,738.8) yearly. From the logit regression model, gender, age, income, household size, institutional trust, bid amount and attitudes were the significant predictors of WTP for non-use values. The study finding explicitly reveals the importance attached to the wetland by the local people and their willingness to make investment for its conservation and restoration. This outcome has significant policy implications for balancing development and conservation efforts and thus, recommended the incorporation of local communities in decision making for sustainable wetland management.