Table of contentsLiterature reviewMethodsData and resultsDiscussion and conclusionReferencesMany services provided by the environment have no value in the traditional sense, such as water filtration, carbon capture, conservation endangered/threatened species, etc. In order to place a market value on these unknown goods/services, the contingent valuation method (CVM) is often used in surveys using WTP (willingness to pay for a good or service) or WTA (willingness to agree to give up a good or service). Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The purpose of the following article is to answer the question "What is the value of marbled salamanders in their environment, particularly around Mount Tom located in Holyoke?" ,MA? Due to their secretive nature and rarity, the paper will also answer the question: “What is the economic cost associated with carbon sequestration in the Mount Tom Reserve region?” » Both of these questions are important to ask because marbled salamanders are a critically endangered species in Massachusetts and are found primarily in hardwood forests and vernal pools around western Massachusetts. The location of Mount Tom in Holyoke, MA is used for this research as it is the location of our study site. Using a prescriptive approach in conjunction with CMV and MassGIS, we were able to estimate the cost of marbled salamanders between 0 and 1,000. more than 000. On the other hand, the carbon sequestration value of the area was estimated between 000 and 1000 million dollars per year. The extremely wide range of evaluations is reflected on and discussed later towards the end of the article. Literature Review As children, many of us were taught the dark value of life and this mentality can also be applied to many environmental services, the preservation of endangered/threatened species. Therefore, we rely on the contingent valuation method (CVM) to generate a willingness to pay or a willingness to accept in order to give value to something that traditionally had no monetary value. The CVM has been widely used in the conservation field to raise funds and awareness for conservation projects, as exemplified by the giant panda, the poster child of conservation since the 20th century. Udziela and Bennett (2007) created and conducted a pilot study. to determine the MVC and ultimately the willingness to pay (WTP) for the conservation of the Little Tern in the State of Connecticut. Just like a typical study, the authors created a voluntary survey and went door-to-door to collect data from participants. Investigators were asked to describe the habitat and threats of the Little Tern and to emphasize to participants that they will have to pay the declared amount if the tax is passed. Then, protests and “warm” offers were identified by follow-up questions about why the response was given as well as general demographic and economic data and filtered from the final figure. Ultimately, these two people reported that the average WTP was 61.41 with a range of values ​​from {rdaddphp file=php/clean_code.php}-0 and an extremely high standard deviation of 0.22 due to of the small sample size. A similar study was conducted by Loomis, Gonzalez-Caban, and Gregory in association with the USGS for Oregon's old-growth forests in 1996. The same approach was used as described above, but found that the CAP ( upper limit) forold growth forests was per year. per household. The lower limit of the WTP was per year/household to illustrate unanswered surveys at a value of {rdaddphp file=php/clean_code.php}. The numbers were then multiplied by the number of households in Oregon to determine the estimated value of services provided by the ecosystem. The CVM has also seen its part in the economics of resource management, to determine the value of ecosystem services from ecosystems such as tropical ecosystems and temperate forests. (Damnya, Tyynela 2011; Costanza et al 1997; Costanza et al 2011; Woodward et al 2001). In these studies, GVC, WTP and replacement costs were used to show that the value of ecosystem services fell from $4.3 to $20.2 trillion per year between 1997 and 2011 due to fragmentation and of the continued destruction of biomes. (Costanza et al. 2011; Damnya et al. 2011). For example, Woodward and Wui (2001) were able to determine the price per hectare of a temporary wetland 7 via benefit transfer using the valuation results of methods such as hedonic pricing, displacement/replacement costs and the CVM. Among the many CVM studies available, many studies focus on either the ecosystem itself or the charismatic animals that inhabit the area. In the case of charismatic animals, the emotional perception of the organism plays an important role in determining the WTP, as illustrated in the study by Notaro and Grilli from July 2019. The study was carried out in the north of the France, where participants received photos of animals (wolf, lynx, alpine salamander) in different emotional states (neutral, happy, angry) to determine the evolution of WTP. The results produced were as expected in that generally happy/neutral expressions of the wolf and lynx generated a higher WTP value than when participants were exposed to an unhappy image of both. However, there was no significant difference in CAP with different expressions. of the alpine salamander, which was expected due to its uncharismatic character. Like all of the other studies listed above, work by Degregorio, Willson, and Dorcas (2014) used the CVM to determine the "commercial value of amphibians produced from an isolated wetland." In their study, the authors were able to assign a commercial value to amphibians in a vernal pool located in Ellenton Bay, Florida, during the busy breeding season, using market value (how much each organism costs in the pet trade ) with survey methods to determine abundance and population size. So, they estimated that the 10-hectare vernal pool was capable of producing more than $3 million worth of juvenile amphibians each year, or about $341 per hectare. Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that fill with water a quarter to half of the year and were converted to agricultural land in the past. In this case, the lost opportunity cost was estimated at around 000/hectare per year before operational expenses and taxes. Methods The study site for my eDNA study is the Whiting Reservoir Trail Head, located on the Mount Tom Preserve in Holyoke, MA. The site includes approximately 1,967 acres of forested areas according to Mass.gov. Using ArcGIS, I was able to determine that vernal pools are found in only 123.02 acres of the 1,900+ acres that are critical for amphibian breeding environments. These 123.02 acres equate to approximately 16 to 17 swimming pools of varying sizes, as shown in the blue dots on the map to your right. Data and resultsOnce the location and masscalculated, we can now move on to the experimental part of the report. In previous surveys of the area, marbled salamanders have been encountered in approximately 1 in 5 vernal pools (3 pools in this case), with the average female laying between 50 and 200 eggs per season. As an r-selected species, a significant portion of the young will fail to reach maturity/reproductive age. Just for hypothetical purposes, let's use a 75% mortality of young and it is unknown how many will congregate in the pool, so this number will theoretically be either 1-4 salamanders per positive pool. The following table illustrates the minimum and maximum population produced defined by the conditions listed above as well as the range of commercial/economic value (market value) produced if sold for the pet trade. Under the circumstances described above, the total market value of marbled salamanders in the Mount Tom Preserve can be between 0 and 540, depending on the market value you use (different suppliers have different prices). In terms of carbon sequestration value, we can use the figures provided above on the land cover of the area as well as the value per ton per acre provided by Gorte, 2009. The cost of carbon sequestration in the reserve has was estimated using the formula below and vernal pool sequestration was estimated using a weighted average as it is a seasonal habitat/formation. The table above represents the rate of carbon dioxide sequestered per year per acre as well as the total amount of carbon dioxide sequestered in the given biomes of the Mount Tom Preserve. The cost of storage was then calculated from the social cost of carbon estimated by Nordhaus in 2019 at USD/tonne per year. The high estimate of 5.50 corresponds to the current carbon dioxide tax set by the Swedish government (the most environmentally friendly country). In this case, the total cost of carbon sequestration within the reserve is between 685,000 and over 736,525 per year. The values ​​shown in the tables provided do not provide the overall cost provided by ecosystem services, but the cost of wetlands can be estimated using the value found by Woodward (2001) multiplied by 123.02 acres (must first be converted to hectares). Discussion and Conclusion As noted above, there is a wide range of overall market value (COGS) costs for marbled salamanders residing in the Mount Tom Preserve, ranging from 0 to 540 depending on the seller. Many assumptions were used to arrive at the estimate provided, including salamander cost, its observed frequency and overall survival rate until metamorphosis. With reference to Constanza (1997, 2011) and Degregorio, Willson, and Dorcas (2014), constant reassessment of environmental values ​​is necessary periodically to keep up with evolving science and consumer values ​​toward the environment. Unlike Degregorio, Willson, and Dorcas, the frequency used above was based on a survey conducted after the Connecticut River flooded, which could have severely displaced marbled salamanders and their larvae, thereby affecting the overall data produced. Another hypothesis put forward was the 75% survival range, as no research was found describing the survival of selected amphibians in the wild, which could have biased the data. Further research is therefore needed in these areas to give a more accurate estimate of the value of marbled salamanders. Regarding carbon capture/sequestration, pricing was strongly influenced by the accuracy of MassGIS in calculating area, price per/