The Role of Spatial Information in Peri-Urban Ecosystem Service Valuation and Policy Investment Preferences

The supply of ecosystem services and the benefits that peri-urban areas provide to society are increasingly being modeled studied using various ecological, environmental, social, economic approaches. Nevertheless, different types levels demand, preferences, or values for human beneficiaries have, often require information econometric methods account awareness knowledge spatial underpinnings behind these processes, services, benefits. Specifically, regarding location an ecosystem, its functions, can play important role in value support policies affecting conservation ecosystems such as payments service (PES) programs. Such PES programs policy instruments promote use resources management objectives. Therefore, better address this understudied aspect landscape ecology modeling literature, we used online, interactive, spatially explicit survey (n = 2359) Bogotá, Colombia evaluate on investment preferences Using approach respondents’ literacy (i.e., information) analyzed how space affected individual’s choices related environmental policies. We found that, increased, respondents were more likely prefer government invest regulating specifically water resources, less investing other services. Although did not necessarily affect respondent’s actual willingness pay (WTP) form monthly monetary payments, it influence cared about magnitude they willing invest. Our findings suggested increasing would change spending but individuals’ WTP contexts Results could be by ecologists, biologists, natural resource scientists, environmental/ecological economists understand design efficient education, conservation, strategies increase public engagement contexts.