The effect of risk perception on public preferences and willingness to pay for reductions in the health risks posed by toxic cyanobacterial blooms

Abstract

The NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner. 1The effect of risk perception on public preferences and willingness-to-pay for reductions in the health risks posed by toxic cyanobacterial blooms AbstractMass populations of toxin-producing cyanobacteria are an increasingly common occurrence in inland and coastal waters used for recreational purposes. These mass populations pose serious risks to human and animal health and impose potentially significant economic costs on society. In this study, we used contingent valuation to elicit public willingness-to-pay (WTP) for reductions in the health risks posed by blooms of toxin-producing cyanobacteria in Loch Leven, Scotland. We found that 55% of respondents (68% excluding protest voters) were willing-to-pay for a reduction in the number of days per year (from 90, to either 45 or 0 days) that cyanobacteria pose a risk to human health at Loch Leven. The mean WTP for a risk reduction was UK£7.91-9.55/household/year, estimated using a logistic spike model.In addition, we found that participation in the market for risk reductions, as well as the amount respondents were willing-to-pay, was strongly dependent on socioeconomic status, usage of the waterbody and attitudes to the environment, as well as individual-specific perceptions and attitudes to risk. This study demonstrates that anticipated health risk reductions are an important nonmarket benefit of improving water quality in recreational waters and should be accounted for in future cost-benefit analyses such as those being undertaken under the auspices of the European Union's Water Framework Directive, but also that such values depend on risk perceptions and attitudes.3

Understanding the distribution of economic benefits from improving coastal and marine ecosystems

“…These stressors include nutrient inputs from farmland due to fertilizer applications and 4 livestock wastes, industrial sources, and sewage inputs (Hunter et al, 2012). Introductions of new 5 invasive alien species, which are often brought in ships' ballast waters, constitute another stressor 6 threatening marine ecosystems (Occhipinti-Ambrogi and Savini, 2003).…”

Spatially explicit integrated modeling and economic valuation of climate driven land use change and its indirect effects

“…To estimate this value within our revealed preference analysis we need to understand the link between the ecological quality of rivers and the recreational behavior and associated values of visitors. Here we have to allow that there may well not be a simple linear relation between chlorophyll-a concentrations and the water quality perceived by recreational visitors (Hunter et al 2012). To bridge this objective-subjective gap we use a tried and tested 'water quality ladder' (WQL), as developed by Hime et al (2009).…”

Valuing the benefits of improved marine environmental quality under multiple stressors

“…Algal blooms can pose threats to human health (Hunter et al, 2012), as well as severely limit recreational and production use of affected waterbodies.…”