Economic Valuation of the Community Forest at Ban Mon Ngo, Mueang Kai, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai

This study was conducted to: - 1) perform an economic valuation 2) estimate the willingness to pay for conservation funds, and 3) explore factors effecting the willingness to pay for the community forest fund at Baan Mon Ngo, Muang Kai sub-district, Mae Taeng district, Chiang Mai province. A set of questionnaires was used for date collection administered to two sample groups. The first group comprised 210 people living in Baan Mon Ngo Village and the second one comprised 600 people working or travelling in Mae Taeng district. Contingent valuation method (CVM) and double bounded close-ended quotation questions were employed. Obtained date were analyzed by using a censored regression model. Findings indicated that value of utilization of produce in the community forest at Baan Mon Ngo claimed by the first sample group in 2020 was 554,662.29 baht per year. This could generate a household income for 3,649.10 baht per year. Average willingness to pay for the community forest conservation fund of people living in Baan Mon Ngo was 71.11 baht per head per year. The following were factors effecting the willingnes topay for the community forest fundat Baan Mon Ngoincluded: - the number of household members, household incomes, and time span of the community forest utilization. For the second sample group, average willingness to pay for the community forest conservation fund was 142.58 baht per person per year.Factors effecting their willingness were age, income and educational attainment.