Opportunities for recreation and tourism: A meta-analysis of the economic value at global level

Abstract

Ecosystem services (ES) are defined as “the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human wellbeing” The release of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) established the groundwork for research in this field. Subsequently, there has been a remarkable increasing in interest in ecosystem services (ES) valuation, leading to the advancement, enhancement, and dissemination of various qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The investigation of the economic value of these services/benefits and its drivers, is crucial to the scientific debate, particularly to allow an estimate of the monetary value. As a consequence, support for the decision maker is provided to improve policy to the drivers that potentially have a positive effect on these ES. Considering the significance of ecosystem services (ES) for the sustainable advancement of contemporary society, this study endeavors to explore potential factors influencing ES values related to recreational and touristic opportunities on a global scale using meta-regression analysis. The investigation spans the years 1975 to 2021. Data for this study were sourced from the Ecosystem Service Valuation Database (ESVD), renowned as one of the most extensively utilized databases for ecosystem service valuation (ESV). Main findings show the existence of a difference in the assessment of the ES value for recreational and touristic opportunities in favor of the latter. This difference is more evident in Southern American countries, in which the number of studies published in the field appears low. Furthermore, the degree of protection of the study area is another relevant factor providing a positive effect on the economic value of ES. This result could be supported by the increasing number, over time, of protected areas across the globe. The findings of the present study would help policy makers to develop ad-hoc policies (e.g. financial incentives to increase the number of protected areas) and implement appropriate spatial strategies tailored to the geographical features and territorial characteristics of the area under investigation.