Economic Valuation Study analyzes the problems of conservation and development of Loma Miranda
SANTO DOMINGO. -The Dominican society has a willingness to pay (WTP) of RD $ 159 or $ 3.15, approximately, per month per household for a program of restoration and conservation in Loma Miranda, an area rich in natural resources that is proposed as a site of mining. This is what the research explains "Mining conflict in the Dominican Republic: the case of Loma Miranda".
The research highlights that the results of the WTP in the vicinity of Loma Miranda imply a social commitment and intergenerational equity, and given the environmental effects caused by mining, there is also a strong recognition of the value of regulation and support of the ecosystem services provided. by respondents willing to preserve it.
Victor Gómez-Valenzuela, Francisco Alpízar, SolhanlleBonilla and Carol Franco-Billini performed they applied the contingent valuation method”, A technique of economic valuation based on declared preferences y hypothetical markets, through a national face-to-face survey during the first quarter of 2019, reaching a representative sample of 1,200 people. The results showed that, from a monetary point of view, the benefits of the exploitation of Loma Miranda seem to be clear, since in the economic pareto criterion the efficiency is fulfilled.
"The average willingness to pay (WTP) to exploit Loma Miranda is statically significant, especially in the vicinity of Loma Miranda, where respondents are willing to pay less to protect it," say the researchers in Resources Policy, one of the academic journals of greater prestige in the field of resource economics.
However, they explain that the above cannot be taken as a direct recommendation in favor of exploiting Loma Miranda, due to the social concerns that motivated the public debate.
"The exploitation of Loma Miranda could only occur under a credible environmental management, backed by a valid social license and under a new social network contract with local communities and Dominican society ”, they affirm.
According to the investigation, the willingness to pay (WTP) in favor of the conservation of Loma Miranda is stronger in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo ”. In general, the authors found that the willingness to pay for the conservation of Loma Miranda is subject to the level of interest in the public debate and the recognition of the ecosystem services provided by Loma Miranda.
The researchers understand that rational and sustainable mining in Loma Miranda can only be possible if there is a strong independent commitment to the environment. “This commitment requires the formation of a public-private sponsorship to carry out environmental monitoring and ecological restoration during mining and post-closure operations; using the resources and financing of mining royalties and with the participation of local communities and universities. Otherwise, it is not advisable to promote the exploitation of Loma Miranda ”.
Source: Gómez-Valenzuela, Víctor; Alpízar, Francisco; Bonilla, Solhanlle; Franco-Billini, Carol. 2020. Mining conflict in the Dominican Republic: The case of Loma Miranda, Resources Policy, Volume 66, 101614. DOI: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301420719306403?via%3Dihub