The New Economics of Outdoor Recreation

This innovative book presents a series of up-to-date analyses of the economics of outdoor recreation. The distinguished group of authors covers real-world recreation management issues and applies economic understanding to these problems. An extensive introduction by the editors details the historical background of economists' interests in this subject, and reveals how economics can provide practical insights into improving how we manage our natural recreation areas. The book is divided into three parts, each of which focuses on a specific environmental resource: mountains, forests, and rivers and the sea. An array of valuation methods - including stated preference and revealed preference techniques - are then applied to various outdoor recreation activities which occur in these different settings. These include such diverse pursuits as rock climbing, skiing, fishing, hunting and whale watching. The authors clearly demonstrate how recreation modelling can offer a productive link between people (their preferences and behaviour) and the natural environment. With extensive empirical examples from Europe and North America, this book will be of great value to economists, governments and NGOs who are interested in the environment, development and tourism. It will also be a valuable source of reference for policymakers concerned with land use and natural resource management, and students of environmental and resource economics.