La forêt vue par les Genevois: perceptions et valeurs économiques de la forêt

Abstract

The forest seen from the inhabitants of Geneva: perception and economic values of the forest This article analyses the perception, behavior and relation of the population in the Canton of Geneva (Switzerland) with respect to forests. The results are based on a survey conducted in winter 2014. We observe that the Geneva population uses the forest less intensively and values its economic importance to a lesser extent than inhabitants of other Swiss cantons. The majority of the respondents prefer the conservation of forest land and biodiversity, rather than increasing wood harvest activities or forest land conversion for housebuilding purposes. Applying the travel cost method, the average annual value of the Geneva forest's recreational services has been estimated at 656 CHF per person (median value of 175 CHF) and 313 CHF (median value of 60 CHF) when excluding the opportunity cost of the time spent in the forest. The willingness to pay for increasing the share of protected forest up to 10% of the overall forest area, as it is planned in the federal program Forest Policy 2020, has been estimated using the contingent valuation method and results in 283 CHF per person and year.