Willingness to pay for forest ecosystem services: measurement and drivers in the babazaouré community forest, Benin

Forest resources provide important and multiple services to local populations. However, despite their undeniable importance, they are increasingly threatened by deforestation and a range of anthropogenic activities. Understanding local communities’ attitudes and willingness to pay for forest conservation is essential to securing the long-term provision of ecosystem services, both in their quantity and quality. This study aims to assess the willingness to pay of local communities for the conservation of ecosystem services in the Babazaouré community forest. The contingent valuation method was applied to measure the willingness to pay for the forest protection. A questionnaire survey was conducted among local communities in the Babazaouré community forest in Benin republic. A Tobit model was used to analyze the influencing factors of the willingness to pay. The results showed that the local residents are willing to pay an average of 3,450 XOF (6.15 $ USD) to safeguard the community forest. The main ecosystem services motivating willingness to pay are provisioning services and cultural services. Respondents’ WTP was driven by socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics. The study provides policy-makers with tools to guide forest management and conservation policies in a way that meets the needs of local populations while ensuring the preservation of the forest ecosystem.