International Conference   BUILDING INSIGHTS OF MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS AND ACCOUNTING TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT Ukrainian National Forestry University, Lviv, Ukraine May 17 � 19, 2007   IUFRO Unit 4.05.00 - Managerial Economics and Accounting IUFRO Unit 4.05.01 - Managerial, social and environmental accounting IUFRO Unit 4.05.02 - Managerial economics

Sharper Insight into Stakeholders� Perceptions and Preferences regarding Forests Ecosystem Services

Lyudmyla Zahvoyska

Institute of Ecological Economics, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Lviv, Ukraine

Email: zld@forest.lviv.ua

Tetyana Bus

Institute of Ecological Economics, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Lviv, Ukraine

Email: tetyana-bas@rambler.ru

Alarming state of the environment irrefutably evident sates that we are approaching the full world (Daly, Farley, 2004). Low-entropy natural resources which are vital for human-dominated subsystems are being emptied. The global sink is becoming full more rapidly then the global sources of resources and urban population faces it before others.

A large body of socio-economic literature does exist on valuing the environment. Since early 50s economists developed direct techniques � stated preference analyses in the framework of hypothetical market (contingent valuation) � and indirect techniques � revealed behavior analysis techniques  (travel costs and hedonic pricing methods) � for valuation the environmental goods and services. All these techniques involve market mechanism to reveal likelihood value. But all of them are questionable likewise the neo-classical axioms of consumer choice theory.

Also, there is a group of approaches to assess the stakeholder preferences, which does not apply vexed market analogies for valuation of environmental services. The recent socio-economics literature provides consistent and forcible arguments that preferences for the social states of public goods can be determined through non-market-oriented stated preferences and/or preferences that are revealed through mechanisms, other than the market (Kant, Lee, 2004, Kearney et. al., 1999). These approaches enable researchers to develop the conceptual content cognitive map to picture stakeholders� (either individual or group) perceptions and preferences, regarding the issue or goods and services in question. It gives sharp insight into implicit world of human perceptions and preferences.

The paper presents results of elicitation stakeholders� (either individual or group) perceptions and preferences regarding forest ecosystems services (both urban and non-urban). Preferences and perception of different stakeholders like forest industry, local population, NGOs and city inhabitants are identified and treated using non-parametric statistics. Universe of values associated with urban park is developed.

Obtained cognitive maps provide decision-makers with highly demanded information about similarities and differences in preferences and perceptions regarding values in question across different stakeholders and hence possible areas for looking compromise for the common benefits .

Key words: preferences, conceptual content cognitive mapping, urban forestry, forest ecosystem services

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