Community preferences for the preservation of Canary Palm from Red Palm Weevil in the city of Bari

Abstract

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (red palm weevil) caused the death of 40% of Phoenix canariensis Chabaud (Canary palm) between 2011 and 2013 in the city of Bari. Extraordinary measures of compulsory pest control at EU and national level were applied, which however require public funds, hence proper cost-benefit studies, in order to favour better decision-making for urban green management. In this work, we investigated the preferences of the urban community towards specific measures for the preservation of Canary palm through a choice experiment. The results can be used to endorse the strategy in force and to shed light on effective and efficient prospective expenditures of public funds for areas affected by red palm weevil.