The economic value of ecosystem services of irrigation: A choice experiment for the monetary evaluation of irrigation canals and fontanili in Lombardy

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) has introduced economic principles for water resource management, including the environmental cost recovery on the basis of the polluter pays principle (PPP). Agriculture, as a potential driver of pressures on water bodies, can produce environmental costs. However, the use of water in agriculture can produce ecosystem services (ES), especially through the aquatic systems of the traditional irrigation agro-ecosystem. This work presents a case study of monetary estimation of some ES of aquatic ecosystems linked to irrigation, i.e. irrigation canals and fontanili in Lombardy (Italy). Through the choice experiment method, we obtained positive values of willingness to pay for the highest levels of ES analysed. This has an implication in the context of the economic analysis of water uses and the decision-making process within the interventions planning of irrigation efficiency improvement.