RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Estimating landowners’ willingness to accept payments for nature-based solutions in eastern North Carolina for flood hazard mitigation using the contingent valuation method
JF Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
FD Soil and Water Conservation Society
SP 500
OP 514
DO 10.2489/jswc.2023.00131
VO 78
IS 6
A1 M. Hovis
A1 F. Cubbage
A1 G. Smith
A1 A. Zuniga-Teran
A1 R. Varady
A1 T. Shear
A1 S. Chizmar
A1 M. Lupek
A1 M. Baldwin
A1 A. Fox
A1 A. Sand
A1 T. Potter
A1 M. Lovejoy
A1 K. Larick
A1 B. Evans
YR 2023
UL http://www.jswconline.org/content/78/6/500.abstract
AB FloodWise is a pilot program that proposes nature-based solutions (NBS) for flood hazard mitigation (risk reduction) in eastern North Carolina to control stormwater runoff for brief periods of time. The program would provide financial incentives and technical assistance to rural landowners to adopt NBS on their properties. In this study, we assessed landowners’ willingness to accept (WTA) payments for adopting NBS on their properties using a payment card contingent valuation method (CVM) via a mail survey. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) incentivize landowners to participate in conservation efforts, as well as provide additional opportunities for revenue. Factors such as income, age, contract term length, revenue lost from previous storm events, and size of farm operation influenced one’s willingness to accept payments. The payment levels required for traditional farm conservation practices and NBS flood control practices were not significantly different, indicating that past program methods could help guide new FloodWise or similar NBS efforts. These results can help guide new NBS program development and funding deliberations in North Carolina, and perhaps other rural locations in the US Southeast.