Long-term evolution of preferences for conservation projects in Seto Inland Sea, Japan: A comprehensive analytic framework

Abstract

14The long-term evolution of preferences for nature is crucial to conservation projects given their targeted 15 long-term horizons. Neglecting to account for this evolution could lead to undesirable human−nature 16 relationships. This study compares the willingness to pay (WTP) for three coastal conservation projects 17 in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, at two distant time points (1998 and 2015) and tests for temporal 18 transferability. It also compares protest responses that are often overlooked in WTP practices, 19 regardless of their utility for conservation projects. Given the lack of a unanimous protocol for protest 20 response analyses and their use in estimating WTP, we propose a comprehensive analytic framework 21 that integrates the two. We show that while preferences for coastal ecosystem services were overall 22 stable and temporarily transferable, the preferences for certain aspects of conservation projects 23 considerably changed. This suggests the need to reconsider the projects' scheme, not the ecosystem 24 services themselves, along with the clarification of beneficiaries and those responsible for past 25 destruction. We conclude by suggesting further studies with focus on regions experiencing significant 26 social-ecological changes, such as developing countries, by exploiting the rich asset of existing 27valuations. This could contribute to the database for more temporal-sensitive ecosystem service 28 valuations utilized for benefit transfers. 29