Does Money Fly? The Economic Value of Migratory Birdwatching in Xochimilco, Mexico

Abstract

This paper estimates the economic value that national and international birdwatchers have to keep an urban wetland in this case, Xochimilco (Mexico), as a place of rest, food and/or shelter for migratory birds from North America. For this purpose, it is resorted to surveys and contingent valuation that estimates the willingness to pay (WTP) per year of these watchers. The best esti-mate indicates that national watchers are willing to pay approximately US $79 per year, while in-ternational, US $296. Using these estimates, it is calculated that the economic value of the bird mi-gration environmental service for this urban wetland is located between US $2836 and US $3999 per hectare. This found value can work as an input for decision makers when faced with projects and/or policies that may face different objectives.