Project description C2

Scientific advisors
Prof. Dr. R. Marggraf, Dr. J. Barkmann

Project
Economic valuation of functional biodiversity and ecosystem services including insurance services

The aim of the research project (2008-2011) was the improvement of economic fundamentals to achieve an efficient but yet also ethically justifiable protection of ecological systems, their functionality as well as their productivity in the long run. In the second phase of the C2-project we investigated the parameters determining the willingness to pay for the preservation of species richness as well as ecosystem services.

The main research topics were:

• The explanatory power of social psychological theories like the value-belief-norm theory for willingness to pay for environmental protection, especially in terms of (unknown) ecological risks. For this purpose we expanded the value-belief-norm theory by risk-related theories like protection motivation-theory. We wanted to know whether these risk-related theories also contribute to the explanation of willingness to pay-amounts.
• Does knowledge which is obtained while filling out our questionnaire have an influence on the amounts of willingness to pay for the protection from ecological risks?

These research projects were conducted using a choice experiment that represents an extension of the choice experiment methodology of the previous phase (attributes: climate change, insect pests and storms, unknown ecological risks). Furthermore, we used social-psychological models for the investigation of motives and beliefs behind human environmental behaviour.

Further information on Kristin Schröder (click here)