A hybrid and hierarchical stated preference study of freshwater restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand

Freshwater quality is multi-dimensional with many interrelated activities, indicators, and demand-relevant values. Environmental managers have a regulatory obligation to invoke social values when deciding on specific restoration activities to fund and must balance values with other criteria. However, it is often difficult to apply non-market values to operational decisions because valuation studies are either not decision-relevant, ecologically irrelevant, incomplete in scope, or not able to be disaggregated to the required spatial scale. This paper describes the design, implementation and results of a stated preference survey strategically positioned to be relevant to freshwater restoration institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study uses a hybrid approach with different measurement methods to measure preferences for crown restoration activities and decompose those preferences by different restoration goals. The recently developed Multiple Discrete-Continuous Nested Extreme Value (MDCNEV) model is used to analyse budget allocation responses. At the most disaggregated level, discrete choice questions are used to evaluate quality and distance trade-offs. The hierarchical approach ensures responses are internally scope-and-scale consistent.