The study reported in this article estimates the economic value of recreational benefits of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, and its determinants using the Individual Travel Cost Method. The tiger reserves in India account for more than a half of the world’s tiger population and are providing a variety of ecosystem services. Most of these services, recreational services in particular, are non-marketed in nature. Hence, the economic value of the recreation services needs to be measured so that the public’s scarce resources can be allocated efficiently for future protection, planning and managing the tiger reserves. Based on the information from primary surveys, our estimated result indicates that the annual recreational value of the MTR is equivalent to ₹114.26 million. The study also found that travel cost, respondent income, family size, gender and site quality are the most important determinants of demand for recreation at MTR. This implies that the recreational value generated by the MTR is significant and more investment in the reserve will enhance future recreational benefits as well as various other ecosystem benefits.
AdiliY. Z., & RobertH. M. (2016). Economic valuation of recreation use value of Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania. Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography, 6(4), 2. 10.4172/2157-7625.1000220
2.
BadolaR., HussainS. A., MishraB. K., KonthoujamB., ThapliyalS., & DhakateP. M. (2010). An assessment of ecosystem services of Corbett Tiger Reserve, India. Environmentalist, 30, 320–329. 10.1007/s10669-010-9278-5
3.
BaskaranN., UdhayanA., & DesaiA. A. (2010). Status of the Asian elephant population in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, southern India. Gajah, 32, 6–13.
4.
BatemanI. J., LangfordI. H., TurnerR. K., WillisK. G., & GarrodG. D. (1995). Elicitation and truncation effects in contingent valuation studies. Ecological Economics, 12, 161–179. 10.1016/0921-8009(94)00044-v
5.
BellF. K., & LeeworthyV. R. (1990). Recreational demand by tourists for salt water beach days. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 18, 189–205. 10.1016/0095-0696(91)90014-a
6.
BharaliA., & MazumderR. (2012). Application of travel cost method to assess the pricing policy of public parks: The case of Kaziranga National Park. Journal of Regional Development and Planning, 1(1), 41–50.
7.
BhatM. Y., & BhattM. S. (2018). Economic valuation of biodiversity in South Asia: The case of Dachigam National Park in Jammu and Kashmir (India). Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, 6(1), 59–72. 10.1002/app5.266
8.
BlaineT. W., LichtkopplerF. R., BaderT. J., HartmanT. J., & LucenteJ. E. (2015). An examination of sources of sensitivity of consumer surplus estimates in travel cost models. Journal of Environmental Management, 151, 427–436. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.12.033
9.
BorzykowskiN., BaranziniA., & MaradanD. (2017). A travel cost assessment of the demand for recreation in Swiss forests. Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, 98(3), 159–171. 10.1007/s41130-017-0047-4
10.
BreidertC., HahslerM., & ReutterrerT. (2006). A review of methods for measuring willingness to pay. Innovative Marketing, 2(4), 08–32.
11.
BrownW. G., & NawasF. (1973). Impact of aggregation on the estimation of outdoor recreation demand functions. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 55(2), 246–249. 10.2307/1238448
12.
CameronA. C., & TrivediP. K. (1986). Econometric models based on count data. Comparisons and applications of some estimators and tests. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 1(1), 29–53. 10.1002/jae.3950010104
13.
CameronA. C., & TrivediP. K. (2005). Microeconometrics: Methods and applications. Cambridge University Press.
14.
CameronA. C., & TrivediP. K. (2013). Regression analysis of count data (No. 53). Cambridge University Press.
15.
CarrL., & MendelsohnR. (2003). Valuing Coral Reefs: A travel cost analysis of the Great Barrier Reef. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 32(5), 353–357. 10.1579/0044-7447-32.5.353
16.
ChaeD., WattageP., & PascoeS. (2011). Recreational benefits from a marine protected area: A travel cost analysis of Lundy. Tourism Management, 33, 971–979. 10.1016/j.tourman.2011.10.008
17.
ChampP. A., BoyleK. J., & BrownT. C. (2003). A primer on nonmarket valuation. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
18.
ChaudhryP., RoyA., & YadavV. (2019). Assessing flow benefits of protected areas of central India: A case study from Maharashtra state of India. International Journal of Sustainable Society, 11(1), 65–78. 10.1504/ijssoc.2019.10023508
19.
ChoS-H., BowkerJ. M., EnglishD. B. K., RobertsR. K., & KimT. (2014). Effects of travel cost and participation in recreational activities on national forest visits. Forest Policy and Economics, 40, 21–30. 10.1016/j.forpol.2013.12.004
20.
ChopraK. (2004). Economic valuation of biodiversity: The case of Keoladeo National Park. In KadekodiG. K. (ed.), Environmental economics in practice: Selected case studies from India. Oxford University Press.
21.
ClawsonM. (1959). Methods of Measuring the demand for and value of outdoor recreation (reprint no.10). Resources for the Future.
22.
ClawsonM., & KnetschJ. L. (1966). Economics of outdoor recreation. John Hopkins University Press.
23.
CoadL., BurgessN., & FishL. (2010). Progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity terrestrial 2010 and marine 2012 targets for protected area coverage. Parks, 17(2), 35–42.
24.
CreelM., & LoomisJ. (1990). Theoretical and empirical advantages of truncated count data estimators for analysis of deer hunting in California. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 72, 434–441. 10.2307/1242345
25.
DasS. (2013). Travel cost method for environmental valuation (Dissemination Paper 23). Center of Excellence in Environmental Economics, Madras School of Economics.
26.
DamigosD., & KaliampakosD. (2001, June3–9). Economic valuation of mined land reclamation: An application of individual travel cost method in Greece [Conference session]. International Conference of Mine Producing, Geology and Environment Protection, Varna, Bulgaria.
27.
DeU. K., & DeviA. (2011). Valuing recreational and conservational benefits of a natural tourist site: Case of Cherrapunjee. Journal of Quantitative Economics, 9(2), 154–172.
28.
DestaY. (2019). Recreational use value of lakes: An application of travel cost method. A case of Lake Ziway. International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources, 19(4), 56–62. 10.19080/ijesnr.2019.19.556018
DowningM., & RobertsK. R. (1991). Estimating visitor use-value of Arboreta: The case of the University of Tennessee Arboretum. Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 9(4), 207–210. 10.24266/0738-2898-9.4.207
31.
DudleyN., & StoltonS. (2010). Arguments for protected areas: Multiple benefits for conservation and use. Routledge.
32.
El-BekkayM., MoukrimA., & BenchakrounF. (2013). An economic assessment of the Ramsar site of Massa with travel cost and contingent valuation methods. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 7(6), 441–447. 10.5897/ajest2013.1485
33.
EugeneE. E. (2016). Economic value of a non-market ecosystem service: An application of the travel cost method to nature recreation in Sweden. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 1–14. 10.1080/21513732.2016.1202322
34.
FixonW., & PangapangaP. (2016). Economic valuation of recreation at Lengwe National Park in Malawi. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 11(5), 1–10. 10.9734/jsrr/2016/26631
35.
FlemingC. M., & CookA. (2008). The recreational value of Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island: An application of the travel cost method. Tourism Management, 29, 1197–1205. 10.1016/j.tourman.2008.02.022
36.
GeraM., YadavA. K., BishtN. S., & GireshM. (2008). Valuation of recreational benefits from Valley of Flowers National Park. Indian Forester, 134, 26–35.
37.
GokulaV., & VijayanL. (1996). Birds of Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Forktail, 12, 143–152.
38.
GoodwinH. (1996). In pursuit of ecotourism. Biodiversity and Conservation, 5, 277–291. 10.1007/bf00051774
39.
GrilliG. (2019). Assessing price sensitivity of forest recreational tourists in a mountain destination. Bio-based and Applied Economics, 8(1), 63–74.
40.
GuhaI., & GhoshS. (2009). Glimpse of the Tiger: How much are Indians willing to pay for it? [Working paper no. 39-09]. South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics. http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/A%20Glimpse%20of%20the%20Tiger.pdf
41.
HaI. S. (2007). Recreational demand for a Gulf Coast tourism destination. Journal of Economics and Economics Education Research, 8(1), 51–65.
42.
HaabT. C., & McConnellK. E. (2002). Valuing environmental and natural resources: The econometrics of non-market valuation. Edward Elgar Publishing. 10.4337/9781843765431
43.
HadkerN., SharmaS., DavidA., & MuraleedharanT. (1997). Willingness-to-pay for Borivli National Park: Evidence from a contingent valuation. Ecological Economics, 21(2), 105–122. 10.1016/s0921-8009(96)00094-8
44.
Haines-YoungR., & PotschinM. (2013). Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES), Report to the European Environmental Agency. University of Nottingham. https://cices.eu/content/uploads/sites/8/2012/07/CICES-V43_Revised-Final_Report_29012013.pdf
45.
HayatiB., SalehniaM., HossenzadJ., & DashtiG. (2011). Estimating the recreation value of Fadak park located in Khoy city by using of individual travel cost method. In Proceedings of the 1st Iranian Conference of Urban Economic, Mashhad, Nov23–24; 190–203.
46.
HellersteinD. M. (1991). Using count data models in travel cost analysis with aggregate data. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 73, 860–866. 10.2307/1242838
47.
HellersteinD., & MendelsohnR. (1993). A theoretical foundation for count data models. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 75, 604–611. 10.2307/1243567
48.
HendartoK. A., Al HasanR., YumantokoY., NurA., & AriawanK. (2019). The economic value of recreational benefit of Aik Nyet nature tourism, KPHL Rinjani Barat: An application of the Travel Cost methods. Jurnal Penelitian Sosial dan Ekonomi Kehutanan, 16(1), 43–54. 10.20886/jpsek.2019.16.1.43-54
49.
Irwan & SariD. P. (2013). Modeling of poisson regression, negative binomial and in case of motor vehicle accident in West Sumatra traffic [Paper presentation]. National Seminar on Mathematics and Mathematics Education—Strengthening the Role of Mathematics and Mathematics Education for a Better Indonesia.
50.
JhalaY., SharmaR. K., QureshiQ., VattakavenJ., GopalR., & NayakK. (2010). Evaluating capture-recapture population and density estimation of tigers in a population with known parameters. Animal Conservation, 13(1), 94–103. 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00305.x
51.
JhalaY. V.QureshiQ., & NayakA. K. (2020). Status of tigers, co-predators & prey in India 2018 [summary report]. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India and Wildlife Institute of India. https://ntca.gov.in/assets/uploads/Reports/AITM/Status_Tigers_India_summary_2018.pdf
52.
JhalaY. V., GopalR., & QureshiQ. (2008). Status of tigers, co-predators, and prey in India. [summary report]. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India and Wildlife Institute of India. http://www.catsg.org/fileadmin/filesharing/3.Conservation_Center/3.2._Status_Reports/Tiger/Jhala_et_al_2008_Status_of_tigers_and_their_prey_in_India.pdf
53.
JhalaY. V., QureshiQ., & GopalR. (2014). Status of tigers, co-predators, and prey in India 2014. [summary report]. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India and Wildlife Institute of India. https://conservewildcats.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/WildCats/papers/IndiaTigerCensusStatus_of_tiger_2014.pdf
54.
KadekodiG. K. (2004). Environmental economics in practice: Selected case studies from India. Oxford University Press.
55.
KalleR., RameshT., QureshiQ., & SankarK. (2011). Density of tiger and leopard in a tropical deciduous forest of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Southern India, as estimated using photographic capture-recapture sampling. Acta Theriol, 56, 335–342. 10.1007/s13364-011-0038-9
56.
KaranthK. K., & DeFriesR. (2011). Nature-based tourism in Indian protected areas: New challenges for park management. Conservation Letters, 4(2), 137–149. 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00154.x
57.
KassayeA. (2017). Estimating the recreational values of Addis Ababa Parks using the travel cost method: The case of Hamle 19 and future parks. World Scientific News, 62, 124–135.
58.
KhanH. (2006). Willingness to pay for Margalla Hills National Park: Evidence from the travel cost method. The Lahore Journal of Economics, 11(2), 43–70. 10.35536/lje.2006.v11.i2.a3
59.
KinzigA., PerringsC., & ScholesB. (2007). Ecosystem services and the economics of biodiversity conservation. Arizona State University. https://www.public.asu.edu/~cperring/Kinzig%20Perrings%20Scholes%20%282007%29.pdf
60.
KrithiK. K., & DeFriesR. (2011). Nature-based tourism in Indian protected areas: New challenges for park management. Conservation Letters, 4(2), 137–149. 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00154.x
61.
LansdellN., & GangadharanL. (2001). Comparing travel cost models and the precision of their consumer surplus estimates: Albert Park and Maroondah Reservoir [Working paper no. 796]. Department of Economics, The University of Melbourne. https://fbe.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/805860/796.pdf
62.
LansdellN., & GangadharanL. (2003). Comparing travel cost models and the precision of their consumer surplus estimates: Albert Park and Maroondah Reservoir. Australian Economic Papers, 42, 339–417.
63.
LimaeiS. M., GhesmatiH., RashidR., & YaminiN. (2014). Economic evaluation of natural forest park using the travel cost method (Case study: Masouleh forest park, north of Iran). Journal of Forest Science, 6(60), 254–261. 10.17221/84/2013-jfs
64.
LogarI., JeroenC. J. M., & van denB. (2014). Economic valuation of preventing beach erosion: Comparing existing and non-existing beach markets with stated and revealed preferences. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, 3, 46–66. 10.1080/21606544.2013.863742
65.
LundevallerE. H. (2009). The effect of travel cost on frequencies of shopping and recreational trips in Sweden. Journal of Transport Geography, 17, 208–215. 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2008.05.002
66.
ManoharanT. R. (1996). Economics of protected areas. A case study of Periyar Tiger Reserve [PhD thesis]. FRI University.
67.
MarkandyaA., PereletR., MasonP., & TaylorT. (2001). A dictionary of environmental economics. Earthscan.
68.
MayerM., & WolteringM. (2018). Assessing and valuing the recreational ecosystem services of Germany’s national parks using travel cost models. Ecosystem Services, 31, 371–386. 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.12.009
69.
McKeanJ. R., JohnsonD. M., & WalshR. G. (1995). Valuing time in travel cost demand analysis: An empirical investigation. Land Economics, 96–105. 10.2307/3146761
70.
MendesI. (2002, October16–18). Travel and on site recreation time: an empirical approach to value the recreation benefits of Peneda-Geres National Park [Conference paper]. IATUR’s Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
71.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. (2005). Ecosystems and human well-being: A framework for assessment. Island Press.
72.
MishraC. (1997). Livestock depredation by large carnivores in the Indian trans-Himalaya: Conflict perceptions and conservation prospects. Environmental Conservation, 24(4), 338–343. 10.1017/s0376892997000441
73.
MyersN. (1996). Environmental services of biodiversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 93(7), 2764–2769. 10.1073/pnas.93.7.2764
74.
NamP. K., & SonT. V. M. (2001). Analysis of the recreational value of the coral-surrounded Hon Mun Islands in Vietnam (EEPSEA research report series). Economy and Environment Programme for Southeast Asia.
75.
NarainS., PanwarH. S., GadgilM., ThaparV., & SinghS. (2005). Joining the dots: The report of the Tiger Task Force. Project Tiger, Ministry of Environment and Forests.
76.
NillesenE. (2002). The travel cost approach: An application to Bellenden Ker National Park [Unpublished Thesis]. School of Economics, University of Queensland.
77.
NillesenE., WesselerJ., & CookA. (2005). Estimating the recreational-use value for hiking in Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia. Environmental Management, 36, 311–316. 10.1007/s00267-003-0219-7
78.
NinanK., & KontoleonA. (2016). Valuing forest ecosystem services and disservices – Case study of a protected area in India. Ecosystem Services, 20, 1–14. 10.1016/j.ecoser.2016.05.001
79.
OvaskainenV., NeuvonenM., & PoutaE. (2012). Modelling recreation demand with respondent-reported driving cost and stated cost of travel time: A Finnish case. Journal of Forest Economics, 18(4), 303–317. 10.1016/j.jfe.2012.06.001
80.
ParsonsG. R. (2003). The travel cost model. In ChampP. A., BoyleK. J., & BrownT. C. (Eds.), A primer on nonmarket valuation (pp. 269–329). Springer Netherlands. 10.1007/978-94-007-0826-6_9
81.
PascoeS., DoshiA., DellQ., TonksM., & KenyonR. (2014). Economic value of recreational fishing in Moreton Bay and the potential impact of the marine park rezoning. Tourism Management, 41, 53–63. 10.1016/j.tourman.2013.08.015
82.
PirikiyaM., AmirnejadH., OladiJ., & AtaieSoloutK. (2016). Determining the recreational value of forest park by travel cost method and defining its effective factors. Journal of Forest Science, 62(9), 399–406. 10.17221/12/2016-jfs
83.
RameshT., SankarK., & QureshiQ. (2011). Status of vultures in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India. Forktail, 27, 96–97. 10.2192/ursus-d-1100006.1
84.
RolfeJ., & DyackB. (2010). Valuing recreation in the Coorong, Australia, with travel cost and contingent behaviour models. Economic Record, 87(277), 282–293. 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2010.00683.x
85.
SekharN. U. (2003). Local people’s attitudes towards conservation and wildlife tourism around Sariska Tiger Reserve, India. Journal of Environmental Management, 69(4), 339–347. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2003.09.002
86.
ShresthaR. K., SeidlA. F., & MoraesA. S. (2002). Value recreational fishing in the Brazilian Pantanal: A travel cost analysis using count data models. Ecological Economics, 42(1–2), 289–299. 10.1016/s0921-8009(02)00106-4
87.
ShresthaR. K., SteinT. V., & ClarkJ. (2007). Valuing nature-based recreation in public natural areas of the Apalachicola River region, Florida. Journal of Environmental Management, 85, 977–985. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.11.014
88.
SiloriC. S., & MishraB. K. (2001). Assessment of livestock grazing pressure in and around the elephant corridors in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, South India. Biodiversity and Conservation, 10, 2181–2195.
89.
SinclairM., GhermandiA., & SheelaA. M. (2018). A crowd sourced valuation of recreational ecosystem services using social media data: An application to a tropical wetland in India. Science of The Total Environment, 642, 356–365. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.056
90.
SmithV. K. (1993). Nonmarket valuation of environmental resources: An interpretive appraisal. Land Economics, 69(1), 1–26. 10.2307/3146275
91.
State Planning Commission, Tamil Nadu. (2017, April). Revenue Generation through Ecotourism Potential and Prospects from Forest Sector in Tamil Nadu (16/EE). https://www.spc.tn.gov.in/spc_reports/Revenue_gneration_Ecotourism.pdf
92.
StollJ. R. (1983). Recreational activities and nonmarket valuation: The conceptualization issue. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 15(2), 119–125. 10.1017/s0081305200016344
93.
SureshH. S., DattarajaH. S., & SukumarR. (2010). Relationship between annual rainfall and tree mortality in a tropical dry forest: Results of a 19-year study at Mudumalai, Southern India. Forest Ecology and Management, 259, 762–769. 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.025
94.
TahzeedaJ., KhanM. R., & BasharR. (2018). Valuation approaches to ecosystem goods and service for the national botanical garden, Bangladesh. Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies, 6(1), 1–9. 10.2478/environ-2018-0001
95.
TEEB Synthesis. (2010). Mainstreaming the economics of nature: A synthesis of the approach, conclusions and recommendations of TEEB. Earthscan.
96.
TimahP. N. (2011). Non-market valuation of beach recreation using the travel cost method in the context of the developing world: An application to visitors of the Naoe Beach in Kribi, Cameroon [Master’s thesis]. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
97.
TourkoliasC., SkiadaT., MirasgedisS., & DiakoulakiD. (2014). Application of the travel cost method for the valuation of the Poseidon Temple in Sounio, Greece. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 16, 567–574. 10.1016/j.culher.2014.09.011
98.
TwerefouD. K., & AbabioD. K. A. (2012). An economic valuation of the Kakum National Park: An individual travel cost approach. African Journal of Environmental Science Technology, 6(4), 199–207.
99.
UNEP-WCMC, IUCN, & NGS. (2018). Protected planet report 2018: Tracking progress towards global targets for protected areas. UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. https://livereport.protectedplanet.net/pdf/Protected_Planet_Report_2018.pdf
100.
VermaM., NegandhiD., KhannaC., EdgaonkarA., DavidA., KadekodiG., CostanzaR., GopalR., BonalB. S., YadavS. P., & KumarS. (2017). Making the hidden visible: Economic valuation of tiger reserves in India. Ecosystem Services, 26, 236–244. 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.05.006
101.
VermaS., VashumK. T., ManiS., & JayakumarS. (2015). Monitoring changes in forest fire pattern in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats India, using remote sensing and GIS. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, 15(4), 12–19. https://journalofscience.org/index.php/GJSFR/article/view/1663
102.
VokeM., FairleyI., WillisM., & MastersI. J. (2013). Ocean & coastal man agent economic evaluation of the recreational value of the coastal environment in a marine renewable deployment area. Ocean and Coastal Management, 78, 77–87. 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.03.013
103.
VucetichJ. A., BruskotterJ. T., & NelsonM. P. (2015). Evaluating whether nature’s intrinsic value is an axiom of or anathema to conservation. Conservation Biology, 29, 321–332. 10.1111/cobi.12464
104.
WalstonJ., KaranthK. U., & StokesE. J. (2010). Avoiding the unthinkable: What will it cost to prevent tigers becoming extinct in the Wild. Wildlife Conservation Society. http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2385.7769
105.
WardF. A., & BealD. (2000). Valuing nature with travel cost models. Edward Elgar Publishing.
106.
WielandR. C., & HorowitzJ. (2007). Estimating the recreational consumer surplus at Maryland’s state-owned forests. Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, University of Maryland.
107.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII). (2015). Indian experience on MEE |Wildlife Institute of India, an Autonomous Institute of MoEF, Govt. of India. https://wii.gov.in/mee_india_experience
108.
WillisK. G., & GarrodG. D. (1991). An individual travel cost method of evaluating forest recreation. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 42, 33–42. 10.1111/j.1477-9552.1991.tb00330.x
109.
WindleJ., RolfeJ., & PascoeS. (2017). Assessing recreational benefits as an economic indicator for an industrial harbour report card. Ecological Indicators, 80, 224–231. 10.10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.05.036
110.
ZhangF., WangX. H., NunesP. A. L. D., & MaC. (2015). The recreational value of gold coast beaches, Australia: An application of the travel cost method. Ecosystem Services, 11(c), 106–114. 10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.09.001
