Components of the economic value of wildlife: an Alberta case study

Abstract

1991. Components of the economic value of wildlife: An Alberta case study. Canadian Field-Naturalist 105(3): 423-429. Wildlife resources and the services they provide are not typically traded in markets. In spite of a high regard for wildlife resources by individuals, the value of wildlife is often assigned a low or zero price in economic analyses that include trade offs with industrial developments. A partial reason for this anomaly is the lack of market prices for the various kinds of uses or services derived directly from wildlife, including the value of wildlife preservation. In this paper methods of determining values for wildlife resources are discussed. The role of these values in benefits cost analysis is addressed. An em pirical analysis of components of wildlife value from an Alberta case study is presented. The analysis includes both use and non-use values. The results suggest that non-use values, or preservation values, represent a large component of the value of wildlife.