This paper measures willingness-to pay (WTP) for public access and trail improvements on commonage farm land for recreational walking in upland and lowland areas of Connemara, Ireland using the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). Common to both upland and lowland commonage sites was the much...

This research utilises a contingent behaviour valuation technique to value a number of improvements to recreational facilities in small-scale forests in Ireland. Willingness–to-pay estimates have previously been made for Coillte (Ireland’s state-owned forestry company) trails and forests....

Environmental decision-making compares market and non-market outputs, often in terms of willingness to pay. In addition to personal, private ‘consumer’ preferences, individuals may adopt a citizen perspective, judging matters from the point of view of society as a whole. Under such...

Multi-attribute revealed preference data is used to investigate the heterogeneity of tastes in a sample of kayakers, in relation to eleven whitewater sites in Ireland. The paper focuses on a comparison of the analysis of preference heterogeneity using a random parameter logit model and a latent...

In this paper, we compare many of the widely available estimated global benefits of abatement with the costs to Irish agriculture, as estimated by the CAPRI model. We apply the model to Ireland only, in a simple comparative static simulation, and assume fixed prices. We focus more on methane...

We adapt the standard random utility model to take account of the heterogeneity of recreational preferences by using what we call a “clustered conditional logit framework”. By separating out our sample of whitewater kayakers into two exogenously identifiable groups (based on their skill...

This paper?s contribution to the understanding of outdoor recreational pursuits in Ireland comes from the estimation of the first whitewater kayaking demand function. This paper is also unique in that it combines data collected from two different sources; the internet and an on-site survey, thus...

The treatment of the opportunity cost of travel time and the measurement of travel costs in recreational demand modelling has been a contentious issue for many decades. This paper demonstrates how a potential wage rate can be used in the measurement of the opportunity cost of travel (leisure)...

The Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) was introduced under Council Regulation 2078/92 in order to encourage farmers to carry out their activities in a more extensive and environmentally friendly manner. This paper looks at the general design of REPS and its uptake by farmers. It...

In the last decade the demand for rural recreation has increased in Ireland as the population has become increasingly urbanised. Increased affluence, mobility and changing values have also brought new demands with respect to landscape, conservation, heritage and recreation, with a greater...