台灣石虎棲地保育效益之評估—孩子的未來和父母的現在

An Evaluation of the Benefits of Conserving Leopard Cat Habitats —The Children’s Future, the Parents’ Presen

台灣石虎是瀕臨滅絕的保護野生動物，是台灣唯一的本土貓科動物，是生態系統的基石，也是台灣的旗艦物種。台灣石虎正面臨棲息地喪失、破碎化等人類發展的威脅。需要評估石虎棲息地保護的價值。本研究採用條件評估法 (contingent valuation method, CVM) 評估苗栗 (石虎棲息地的居民) 和新竹 (非石虎棲息地的居民) 對石虎棲地保育的支付意願 (willingness to pay, WTP) 並比較成人和兒童的WTP之間的差異。實證結果發現不論是棲地與非棲地之孩童與成人都覺得保育石虎棲地極具價值。若能建立適當機制保護石虎棲地，應能創造當地民眾、遊客、石虎生態系三贏的局面，而能同時關照成人的現在與孩子的未來，而有益於環境、經濟、社會之永續發展。

 

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is an endangered, protected wild animal species, the only extant feline species native to Taiwan. The leopard cat is a foundation stone for the ecosystem, and a flagship species for Taiwan as well. However, leopard cats are facing threats of habitat loss, fragmentation, and other results of human development. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the value of protecting leopard cat habitats. This study adopted the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to evaluate residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) regarding the conservation of habitats of leopard cats in Miaoli (within the leopard cat habitats) and Hsinchu (outside the leopard cat habitats). Additionally, the study compared differences in WTP between adults and children. It was noted that children and adults, living both within and outside the habitats, thought it was highly valuable to conserve leopard cat habitats. If appropriate mechanisms can be created to protect the habitats of leopard cats, it will be possible to create ecological triple-wins for residents, tourists, and leopard cats. Doing so will also care for adults’ present-day and children’s future ecosystems, creating benefits for the sustainable development of the environment, economy, and society.