年輕高等教育民眾對台灣鮭魚之願付價值

Estimating the Willingness to Pay for the Taiwan Trout (Oncorhynchus Masou Formosanus)

台灣鮭魚珍貴且數量稀少，它對民眾之價值到底有多高？各種保護復育行動，不論是瞭解台灣鮭魚、瞭解棲地對台灣鮭魚的影響、保護棲地、人工復育、擴大放流、收回農場土地、或是增加巡守，都需要龐大經費，是不是值得做？為了回答上述問題，本文以封閉式條件評估法，並採用支出函數法之雙界二元選擇計量模型設定，估計民眾對台灣鮭魚的願付價值。結果發現民眾的願付價值相當高，保守計算，一年對台灣鮭魚之願付價值至少有11.75億元。這樣的價值不論和二十年來政府已投下的兩億元復育經費，或是和武陵農場每年的農業收入六、七千萬元相較，都高出許多。顯示各種保護復育行動，或是收回武陵農場土地來造林保護鮭魚以發展生態旅遊，都很值得進行。 The Taiwan Trout (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus) is endangered and also valuable. It inhabits at only live in high mountain stream sections with only several km in total length. Human harvest, bad water quality due to farm activities, flood and water temperature arising are seriously threatening this species. It needs to be protected immediately. Among the threats, only the long-term water temperature rising is an irreversible threat. In the long run, the trout population could decrease and cause huge loses to Taiwanese. Thus valuing the willingness to pay for the Taiwan Trout is urgent. Contingent valuation method is used in this study. We use the double-bound model based on the expenditure function to estimate the willingness to pay of Taiwan Trout. We found that the value is high. The per year per person willingness to pay for a change of the three quarter of trout population, 1209, to the average trout population, 1612, is 609 New Taiwan Dollars (19.0 USD) with the 95% confidence interval ranges from 596 to 624 New Taiwan Dollars (18.6 to 19.5 USD). Also, as expected, the willingness to pay rises as the trout population to be recovered increases.

The Taiwan Trout (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus) is endangered and also valuable. It inhabits at only live in high mountain stream sections with only several km in total length. Human harvest, bad water quality due to farm activities, flood and water temperature arising are seriously threatening this species. It needs to be protected immediately. Among the threats, only the long-term water temperature rising is an irreversible threat. In the long run, the trout population could decrease and cause huge loses to Taiwanese. Thus valuing the willingness to pay for the Taiwan Trout is urgent. Contingent valuation method is used in this study. We use the double-bound model based on the expenditure function to estimate the willingness to pay of Taiwan Trout. We found that the value is high. The per year per person willingness to pay for a change of the three quarter of trout population, 1209, to the average trout population, 1612, is 609 New Taiwan Dollars (19.0 USD) with the 95% confidence interval ranges from 596 to 624 New Taiwan Dollars (18.6 to 19.5 USD). Also, as expected, the willingness to pay rises as the trout population to be recovered increases.