Assessing the Ecological Value of an Urban Forest Park: A Case Study of Sinhua Forest Park in Taiwan

Urban forests offer multiple functions: they can balance negative effects from the environment and provide public with a place for leisure recreation. Hence, urban are crucial to ecology have been widely studied. In addition, relevant study results were applied policymaking in development forest park management. This evaluated ecological value of Sinhua Forest Park examined whether socioeconomic background participants influences their willingness pay (WTP) conservation. Questionnaires distributed visitors Tainan, Taiwan, payment card format contingent valuation method was employed evaluate value. The showed that had an annual WTP $22.01 per person. However, when samples protest responses excluded, rose $24.58. By considering total number year, $1,426,964.14/year reached $1,593,257.31/year after excluding samples. also analyzed participants’ within-variable (e.g., gender education) discovered male who aged 60 years or older, education level senior/vocational high school, those visited green spaces two three times week presented score on average. A Tobit regression model examination, indicated frequency visiting significantly influenced conservation Park.