About This Project

Rivers are an important part of the natural environment. They provide habitat for fish, crayfish, insects, snails, as well as birds and mammals. They regulate the amount of water in the environment by discharging excess water into the seas and oceans. Rivers are also attractive for tourism, with many people enjoying their leisure time near them. The purpose of the study is to identify the attributes of rivers that determine their attractiveness from the public's point of view.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Poland's rivers are heavily polluted. In 2022 there was a natural disaster on the Oder River, the second largest river in Poland. This event caught the attention of the media. This is the second major natural disaster on Polish rivers in recent years (in 2020, Poland's largest river, the Vistula, was poisoned due to a sewage treatment plant disaster. Due to pollution, many fish and crayfish species become rare or have become extinct in Polish rivers[1][2][3][4][5]. In addition, many rivers have had their course artificially altered. Rivers in cities have concrete banks, and resting places have been built on the banks. Few rivers with an entirely natural character remain. Mainly mountain rivers in short segments near their sources have retained their naturalness.

What is the significance of this project?

The study will measure the value of ecosystem services provided by rivers. To measure their value, willingness to travel will be counted using a mixed multinomial model. Briefly speaking, for each attribute of a river, the time that a person is willing to spend to get to a river that has a given attribute will be counted. The results will allow estimating the value of ecosystem services of specific rivers, which will allow local authorities to better plan local economies (such as tourism and environmental protection). Willingness to travel will also allow counting the monetary value of ecosystem services provided by a specific river in a specific area, which can also be applied to regional policy.

What are the goals of the project?

To perform the study I intend to conduct an online survey in which there will be several sets with different attributes of rivers to choose from. Respondents will have to choose the one that suits them best. In addition, the surveys will include questions about respondents' socioeconomic data. The surveys will be prepared using Bayesian statistical methods to get the best results from the survey. A mixed logit model, which is the current standard for this type of research, will be used to calculate willingness to travel. The survey will be conducted on a group of respondents from a consumer panel, collected by a professional statistics company.