Does Cultural Landscape Really Matter? A Case Study of Local Community Preferences towards Negombo Lagoon View

Abstract

Cultural services, accounts non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems, which were largely ignored in literature of ecosystem valuation. The purpose of this study was to assess the significance of cultural landscape of an urban coastal ecosystem. Negombo lagoon was selected as the study site, and the view of the site was justified to explain the cultural landscape of lagoon in concern. The lagoon area is geographically segregated into areas known as "Thotupola" where the fisherman used to launch their boats. Choice Method (CM) and Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) were applied to assess the community preferences for cultural landscape. Primary data were gathered through a face-to-face interview, supported by a structured questionnaire, with 300 respondents (fishing households) representing 15 'Thotupola’ areas. According to the CVM, it is revealed that the excess amount of money that they willing to pay for direct lagoon view was Rs. 46,792 per perch (i.e. which accounts solely 23% of land value). Further it is revealed that the age, gender, education and income had significant impact on willingness-to-pay (WTP). According to CM, the overall implicit price for the ecosystem services is derived as Rs. 1062.75. The lagoon view had significant impact on implicit price of overall ecosystem services in terms of both 'full' (Rs. 161.50) and 'partial' (Rs. 148.50) view. Thus the study revealed that the marginal WTP for cultural landscape is Rs. 309.50. Therefore, the cultural landscape accounts solely 30 percent from the value of whole ecosystem that cannot be readily substituted.