BENEFIT EVALUATION OF THALE NOI NON-HUNTING AREA AS A RECREATION SITE

Abstract

Allowing Thale Noi Non--Hunting Area in southern Thailand to serve such economic purposes as agriculture and fishery may result to decrease its recreation value. Benefit gained from economic uses can be easily measured in comparison to the recreation uses. Hence, the objective of this study was focused on monetary evaluation of Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area as a recreation site. It was also aimed to an estimation of income gained by the local people. Such benefits might be used as criteria in decision making for appropriate land use. An economic theory so-called the willingness to pay was used for benefit evaluation. There were two methods to estimate the value of willingness to pay, i.e., the travel cost approach by measuring the behavior of willingness to pay of consumers and the visitor survey method by measuring attitude of their willingness to pay. Data interpreted in this study were collected from 341 visitors coming to Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area in 1987. The results showed that monetary value of Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area as a recreation site evaluated by the Travel Cost Approach was 11.07 million baht in 1987. If this area is reserved as a recreation site for 25 years, such value would increase up to 83.91 million baht at 12.50 percent discount rate and to 126.19 million baht at 7.25 percent discount rate. However, the monetary value would be only 3.30 million baht if an evaluation was based on the Visitor Survey Method. This value would increase to be 25.01 million baht and 37.62 million baht at 12.50 and 7.25 percent discount rates, respectively, if the area is reserved as a recreation site for 25 years. The findings also revealed that 77.22 percent of total expenditure in 1987, equivalent to 9.11 million baht, belonged to the local villagers.