Estimating recreational value of forest parks and determining their effective factors (Case study: Martyr Kunhani forest park, Koohdasht)

Because of functions and services of natural ecosystem and the need for better planning for using of them, their true valuation becomes very important. Therefore, the economists have been focusing on valuation and economic assessment of natural resource in order to help people understand the true value of benefits they are receiving from their environment, and in doing so a substantial progress have so far been realized. In this study, an attempt was made to estimate recreational value of martyr Kuhnani forest Park in bolooran, Kouhdasht, province of Lorestan using individual Travel Cost method. The required of data was collected through completing the questionnaires and interviewing with 150 visitors of the park in 1393. In individual travel costs method, in order to examine the effects of the explanatory variables on frequency of visit, linear regression model was utilized. For this purpose, traveling functions with various forms including linear, logarithmic, linear-logarithmic, logarithmic-linear were developed. Using econometrics criteria, a linear functional form was selected among the various available forms. Using individual travel cost method, consumer surplus for each person visiting the park was estimated at about 430,000 Rials and the annual recreational value per hectare of the nearly 1094 hectare of the park was calculated at about 66,000,000. The results also showed that the variables cost, revenue, distance and education were significant at 1%, 5%, 5%, 10% statistical level, respectively.