Valuing preferences for freshwater inflows into five Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal estuaries
- Authors: Chege, Jedidah
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Kwazulu-Natal , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- Management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8990 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/932 , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Kwazulu-Natal , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- Management -- South Africa
- Description: An estuary, according to the National Water Act of 1998, is a partially or fully enclosed body of water which is open periodically or permanently to the sea within which the sea water can be diluted, to an extent that is measurable with freshwater from inland. Estuaries and the lands surrounding them are places of transition from land to sea, and from freshwater to saltwater. Although influenced by the tides, estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms by the reefs, barrier islands, or fingers of land, mud, or sand that surround them. South Africa’s estuaries are important and irreplaceable habitats, especially for prawns, fish, wading birds and mangroves. They are home to numerous plants and animals that live in water that is partly fresh and partly salty. Estuaries are also homes to growing coastal communities as increasing number of people occupy watersheds. However, estuaries are also threatened. One of the threats is reduced river water inflow. This study applies the contingent valuation method (CVM) to elicit user’s willingness to pay to mitigate the negative impacts of reduced freshwater inflow into selected five Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal estuaries: the Sundays, Gamtoos, Mdloti, Mgeni and Mvoti estuaries. In addition to the contingent valuation method, the travel cost method was used to generate comparative values. The contingent valuation method is a technique to establish the value of a good (or service) that is not bought or sold in an actual market. The CVM establishes the economic value of the good by asking the users of an environmental good to state their willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical project to prevent, or bring about, a change in the current condition of the environmental good. The users’ WTP is aggregated to establish a total willingness to pay (TWTP) for the population of the users of the environmental good.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Chege, Jedidah
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Kwazulu-Natal , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- Management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8990 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/932 , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Kwazulu-Natal , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuaries -- Management -- South Africa
- Description: An estuary, according to the National Water Act of 1998, is a partially or fully enclosed body of water which is open periodically or permanently to the sea within which the sea water can be diluted, to an extent that is measurable with freshwater from inland. Estuaries and the lands surrounding them are places of transition from land to sea, and from freshwater to saltwater. Although influenced by the tides, estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms by the reefs, barrier islands, or fingers of land, mud, or sand that surround them. South Africa’s estuaries are important and irreplaceable habitats, especially for prawns, fish, wading birds and mangroves. They are home to numerous plants and animals that live in water that is partly fresh and partly salty. Estuaries are also homes to growing coastal communities as increasing number of people occupy watersheds. However, estuaries are also threatened. One of the threats is reduced river water inflow. This study applies the contingent valuation method (CVM) to elicit user’s willingness to pay to mitigate the negative impacts of reduced freshwater inflow into selected five Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal estuaries: the Sundays, Gamtoos, Mdloti, Mgeni and Mvoti estuaries. In addition to the contingent valuation method, the travel cost method was used to generate comparative values. The contingent valuation method is a technique to establish the value of a good (or service) that is not bought or sold in an actual market. The CVM establishes the economic value of the good by asking the users of an environmental good to state their willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical project to prevent, or bring about, a change in the current condition of the environmental good. The users’ WTP is aggregated to establish a total willingness to pay (TWTP) for the population of the users of the environmental good.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Valuing preferences for freshwater inflows into the Bira, Bushmans, Kasouga, Keiskamma, Kleinemond East, Nahoon and Tyolomnqa estuaries
- Authors: Van der Westhuizen, Henri
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8998 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/628 , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: There are about 259 estuaries in South Africa that can be classified as “functioning” and their “health” status is directly related to the quantity and quality of freshwater that flows into them. Many of South Africa’s estuaries have become smaller due to a steady decrease in the amount of freshwater that flows into them. This reduction in freshwater inflows decreases their ecological functioning and undermines the recreational activities and subsistence services available from them. The National Water Act (ACT No. 36 of 1998) recognises the right of the environment to water, but a large amount of data is still needed to make management decisions on the allocation of freshwater. The objective of this research was to contribute to the management of the allocation of freshwater in the catchment areas of the Bira, Bushmans, Kasouga, Keiskamma, Kleinemond East, Nahoon and Tyolomnqa rivers by determining the recreational value of the freshwater flowing into their estuaries. This recreational value was established using the contingent valuation method. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is a technique to establish the value of a good (or service) that is not bought or sold in an actual market. This technique is frequently applied in the valuation of environmental goods, e.g. the freshwater that flows into an estuary. The CVM establishes the economic value by asking the users of an environmental good to state their willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical project to prevent or bring about a change in the current condition of the environmental good. The users’ WTP is then aggregated to establish a total willingness to pay (TWTP) for the population of the users of the environmental good. The hypothetical project presented in this study is that of an increase of freshwater inflows, that would prevent (bring about) predetermined changes in environmental services provided by the selected seven estuaries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Van der Westhuizen, Henri
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8998 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/628 , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Freshwater ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: There are about 259 estuaries in South Africa that can be classified as “functioning” and their “health” status is directly related to the quantity and quality of freshwater that flows into them. Many of South Africa’s estuaries have become smaller due to a steady decrease in the amount of freshwater that flows into them. This reduction in freshwater inflows decreases their ecological functioning and undermines the recreational activities and subsistence services available from them. The National Water Act (ACT No. 36 of 1998) recognises the right of the environment to water, but a large amount of data is still needed to make management decisions on the allocation of freshwater. The objective of this research was to contribute to the management of the allocation of freshwater in the catchment areas of the Bira, Bushmans, Kasouga, Keiskamma, Kleinemond East, Nahoon and Tyolomnqa rivers by determining the recreational value of the freshwater flowing into their estuaries. This recreational value was established using the contingent valuation method. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is a technique to establish the value of a good (or service) that is not bought or sold in an actual market. This technique is frequently applied in the valuation of environmental goods, e.g. the freshwater that flows into an estuary. The CVM establishes the economic value by asking the users of an environmental good to state their willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical project to prevent or bring about a change in the current condition of the environmental good. The users’ WTP is then aggregated to establish a total willingness to pay (TWTP) for the population of the users of the environmental good. The hypothetical project presented in this study is that of an increase of freshwater inflows, that would prevent (bring about) predetermined changes in environmental services provided by the selected seven estuaries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
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