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Land Preservation in British Columbia: An Empirical Analysis of the Factors Underlying Public Support and Willingness to Pay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2015

Robert Androkovich ,
Ivan Desjardins ,
Gordon Tarzwell  and
Peter Tsigaris
Robert Androkovich
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
Ivan Desjardins
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Thompson Rivers University
Gordon Tarzwell
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
Peter Tsigaris
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada
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Abstract

This study extends previous empirical research on land preservation by considering an actual land preservation scheme, the agricultural land reserve in British Columbia, Canada. The reserve was established in 1973 to ensure that development did not occur on the province’s most productive agricultural land. ‘To ensure that local food production is maintained,’ ‘the economic importance of British Columbia's agricultural sector,’ and ‘to protect the environment’ are the most important factors that underlie support for the reserve. Aggregate, provincewide willingness to pay to maintain the land reserve is substantial, with our most conservative estimate being Can$91.18 million per year.

Keywords

agriculturecontingentlandpreservationvaluationQ15Q24Q28Q51
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , December 2008 , pp. 999 - 1013
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2008

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