Distribution of Benefits and Costs among Stakeholders of a Protected Area: An Empirical Study from China

This study provides information on the impact of a new conservation regime in the Fanjingshan National Reserve (FNNR) in Guizhou Province, China. It calculates the economic and social effects that this regime will have on the livelihoods of people living inside the reserve. It shows that, if local people are not compensated for lost incomes, the new plans will increase conflict between locals and the reserve management. To find a way to pay compensation, the study investigated whether people living in the province around the reserve would be willing to pay for conservation in the FNNR through an eco-tax. These people benefit from conservation in the reserve, but at present pay nothing towards it. The study finds that they would be willing to pay and that the amount that could be collected would more than cover of compensating those affected inside the protected area.