The Non-Market Value of Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand: A Choice Modelling Application

National parks and protected areas form the basis of global conservation initiatives and provide a raft of benefits in the form of various consumptive and non-consumptive uses. However, it is extremely difficult to express these benefits in monetary terms. The lack of economic values for these protected areas often results in sub-optimal conservation outcomes. Non-market valuation techniques can be used to estimate monetary values for these key environmental assets. This research applied the choice modelling approach to assess the value of non-market goods and services associated with Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand. A standard multinomial logit model was used to analyse visitor preferences and derive welfare measures. The results indicate park users were willing to pay an actual cash value for the ecological and recreational attributes of the park. These monetary values can be used to guide future development, inform resource allocation decisions and ensure adequate conservation financing