Willingness to pay for nature protection
October 21, 2025
This study examines the Portuguese population’s willingness to financially contribute to environmental protection through either traditional taxation or a voluntary crowdfunding campaign. The authors implement a nationwide survey based on a representative sample of the population to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for preventing and mitigating oil spills in a vulnerable region, the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina, thereby protecting marine and coastal ecosystems. Using a discrete choice experiment, the authors estimate how much individuals value the protection of four ecosystem services: biodiversity conservation, coastal protection, surfing activity, and beach use.