The economic valuation of cultivated land protection: A contingent valuation study in Wenling City, China

The rapid pace of economic development in Wenling City has raised concerns about the increasing loss of, and subsequent need to protect cultivated land. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the economic approach to the evaluation of cultivated land protection for land-use planning. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is used to estimate the public's willingness to pay (WTP) for cultivated land protection in Wenling City. A random questionnaire survey was conducted using both urban and rural households. The survey results indicate that cultivated land protection is important to the local public. The mean WTP for cultivated land protection in Wenling City was 26.99 yuan (3.96 USD) per household per month for 10 years. The total benefits of cultivated land protection in Wenling City were estimated at 24 million yuan (3.5 million USD). The stated WTP amounts were found to vary significantly with respondents' educational level, household income, knowledge, and the bid amounts. This study can help to improve understanding of the local public's WTP for cultivated land protection and provide policy makers with useful information for an effective land protection program.