Provision of ecosystem services from the management of Natura 2000 sites in Umbria (Italy): Comparing the costs and benefits, using choice experiment

Natura 2000 is a network of habitats, the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, managed under the same regulatory framework. Although the main aim of the network is to protect the habitat, it also considers the economic, social and cultural needs of the people involved. Moreover, Natura 2000 is recognised for its provision of several ecosystem services and it has, therefore, put management plans in place for these areas. This paper assessed residents’ preferences for provisioning, regulating and supporting ecosystem services provided by the Region of Umbria network. The Willingness To Pay for improving such ecosystems services is also estimated and used to evaluate the overall benefit provided by the management of the network in two hypothetical scenarios. The average benefit per hectare per year for achieving the less demanding scenario is €75, whereas an additional €64 is required for the more challenging policy scenario. The estimated benefit is greater than the current expenditure for the regional management of the Natura 2000 network.