Examining Preferences for Forest Ecosystem Services using Partial Profile Choice Experiments

The purpose of this study is to understand the general public’s preferences for forest ecosystem services in Japan using partial profile choice experiments. In cases where the number of attributes being assessed by discrete choice experiment is large, an approach that narrows down the number of attributes is preferable. However, there are certainly situations in which researchers want to value many attributes simultaneously. The method was introduced as a method of adapting discrete choice experiments to handle large numbers of attributes. In this study, we examined the valuation of fifteen forest ecosystem services. The survey was conducted via a website over the period of March 2015. There were 1163 survey respondents who were general citizens from across the country. The results revealed that “Moderation of extreme events” was valued significantly higher than the other attributes. This may be because Japan has naturally steep terrain with a high risk of mudslides and mudflows. “Fresh water,” “Local climate and air quality,” “Carbon sequestration and storage,” “Erosion prevention and maintenance of soil fertility,” “Waste-water treatment,” and “Habitats for species” were also valued highly. Of the seven forest ecosystem services shown above, five were listed regulation services.