Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 107136 |
| Journal | Ecological Economics |
| Volume | 188 |
| Early online date | 29 Jun 2021 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2021 |
Abstract
Nature-based recreation presents a key ecosystem service that people derive from landscapes. While numerous studies exist on the valuation of nature-based recreation for specific sites or regions, scientific knowledge gaps remain regarding the economic significance of nature-based recreation at national levels. This study aims to quantify the volume and economic significance of nature-based recreation in Germany, with a focus on leisure activities and weekend recreation. Our objective are to assess (i) motivations, time allocation and travel costs, (ii) frequencies and participation numbers, and (iii) economic significances. The research design includes a representative survey and descriptive statistics. Our results show that 81% of respondents participated in nature-based recreation within year before the survey, while the rest stated no participation. The average frequency was 63 leisure activities, 29 day-trips and seven short overnight trips. ‘Experiencing nature’ was the most frequently mentioned trip motivation. The extrapolated total participation volume in nature-based recreation amounts to 3.3 billiontrips and 16.6 billion hours. The economic significance is€ 151.3 billion, including travel costs, on-site expenses, and opportunity costs. Our study presents novel insights on the significance of NBR in Germany, and can support planning and policy making to safeguard and enhance landscape quality for recreational purposes.
Keywords
- Cultural ecosystem services, Monetary value, National level, Quantification, User survey
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- General Environmental Science
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance(all)
- Economics and Econometrics
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Ecological Economics, Vol. 188, 107136, 10.2021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Nature-based recreation in Germany
T2 - Insights into volume and economic significance
AU - Hermes, Johannes
AU - von Haaren, Christina
AU - Schmücker, Dirk
AU - Albert, Christian
N1 - Funding Information: This paper is based on the project “Valuing Cultural Ecosystem Services in Germany”, supported by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) with funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), Grant ID: 3513 83 0300 . C.A. acknowledges further support from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung—BMBF) , Grant ID: 01UU1601A . The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the BfN or the BMUB. We thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for the constructive feedback on our manuscript.
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - Nature-based recreation presents a key ecosystem service that people derive from landscapes. While numerous studies exist on the valuation of nature-based recreation for specific sites or regions, scientific knowledge gaps remain regarding the economic significance of nature-based recreation at national levels. This study aims to quantify the volume and economic significance of nature-based recreation in Germany, with a focus on leisure activities and weekend recreation. Our objective are to assess (i) motivations, time allocation and travel costs, (ii) frequencies and participation numbers, and (iii) economic significances. The research design includes a representative survey and descriptive statistics. Our results show that 81% of respondents participated in nature-based recreation within year before the survey, while the rest stated no participation. The average frequency was 63 leisure activities, 29 day-trips and seven short overnight trips. ‘Experiencing nature’ was the most frequently mentioned trip motivation. The extrapolated total participation volume in nature-based recreation amounts to 3.3 billiontrips and 16.6 billion hours. The economic significance is€ 151.3 billion, including travel costs, on-site expenses, and opportunity costs. Our study presents novel insights on the significance of NBR in Germany, and can support planning and policy making to safeguard and enhance landscape quality for recreational purposes.
AB - Nature-based recreation presents a key ecosystem service that people derive from landscapes. While numerous studies exist on the valuation of nature-based recreation for specific sites or regions, scientific knowledge gaps remain regarding the economic significance of nature-based recreation at national levels. This study aims to quantify the volume and economic significance of nature-based recreation in Germany, with a focus on leisure activities and weekend recreation. Our objective are to assess (i) motivations, time allocation and travel costs, (ii) frequencies and participation numbers, and (iii) economic significances. The research design includes a representative survey and descriptive statistics. Our results show that 81% of respondents participated in nature-based recreation within year before the survey, while the rest stated no participation. The average frequency was 63 leisure activities, 29 day-trips and seven short overnight trips. ‘Experiencing nature’ was the most frequently mentioned trip motivation. The extrapolated total participation volume in nature-based recreation amounts to 3.3 billiontrips and 16.6 billion hours. The economic significance is€ 151.3 billion, including travel costs, on-site expenses, and opportunity costs. Our study presents novel insights on the significance of NBR in Germany, and can support planning and policy making to safeguard and enhance landscape quality for recreational purposes.
KW - Cultural ecosystem services
KW - Monetary value
KW - National level
KW - Quantification
KW - User survey
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108891303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107136
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107136
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85108891303
VL - 188
JO - Ecological Economics
JF - Ecological Economics
SN - 0921-8009
M1 - 107136
ER -