The Codru Quest: Phase I Results

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The Codru Quest: The Codru Quest: Phase I Results Your Choice Moldovan Environmental Governance Academy

Survey on the value of benefits from the Codru Nature Reserve, forest, and biodiversity there in relation to their protection and expansion.

Study on the value of benefits from the Codru Nature Reserve, forest, and biodiversity there in relation to their protection and expansion.

Contact: hello@megageneration.com 18.11.2016


Dear Friend, We are researchers from the Moldovan Environmental Governance Academy (MEGA; www.megageneration.com). In this document we present you the first raw data on the first phase of the economic valuation study called “The Codru Quest� that was done in November – December 2016. The aim of the study is to estimate and present the economic value of ecosystem services and biodiversity in the Codru Nature Reserve and the Codru forest situated in the Republic of Moldova. It is also designed to test the use of gamification and IT tools conducting economic valuation surveys and propose a solution on how to increase the response and completion rates, as well as the quality of data obtained from such surveys. The economic valuation method chosen for the Codru Quest is the choice modeling survey and analysis, as it allows determining the value of each component of the targeted ecosystem and biodiversity in the Codru forest. The first respondents were presented with a set of questions / choice sets each asking to select the preferred scenario and associated monetary value choice among the three shown. The choices represented the business-as-usual state of the Codru ecosystem and two alternative ones with certain elements changed. A respondent observed the changes and monetary value choices associated with them and then selected the preferred one in all choice sets. After all the responses from the first respondents had been gathered, they were analyzed and organized into the present document. The results of the first phase of the study do not include the concrete Willingness-to-Pay (WTP) estimations for preserving the Codru forest with its specific ecosystem services and symbolic species. This comes later after a thorough analysis. For now we just present you the basic information on how people use and appreciate the forests in Moldova and which scenarios of development of the Codru Nature Reserve and the Codru forest they prefer. Stay tuned for more data and results on the Codru Quest from our side in the nearest future.

Yours Truly, The MEGA Team

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Contents Respondents’ Profiles ................................................................................................................. 5 Age ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Sex...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Social Status ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Residence.......................................................................................................................................... 5 Education ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Occupation ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Affiliation ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Attitude towards Environment ............................................................................................... 7 Interest in Nature and Environment Protection............................................................................ 7 Attitude towards Nature Reserves in Moldova ............................................................................ 7 Attitude towards Nature in General ............................................................................................... 8 Use of Forest Ecosystem .......................................................................................................... 9 Importance of Elements of Forest Ecosystem and Infrastructure............................................. 9 Visits to Forest Ecosystem ........................................................................................................... 10 Access to Forest Ecosystem ........................................................................................................ 11 Valuation Scenarios and Choice Sets .............................................................................. 12 Choice Set #1 ................................................................................................................................. 12 Choice Set #2 ................................................................................................................................. 13 Choice Set #3 ................................................................................................................................. 14 Choice Set #4 ................................................................................................................................. 14 Choice Set #5 ................................................................................................................................. 15

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Choice Set #6 ................................................................................................................................. 16 Respondents’ Reasoning and Motives ............................................................................. 17 Payment for Ecosystem Services ................................................................................................ 17 Payment Vehicle............................................................................................................................. 17 Influence of Attributes .................................................................................................................... 18 Zero Valuations............................................................................................................................... 19 Respondents’ Feedback and Suggestions ..................................................................... 21

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Respondents’ Profiles The first phase of the Codru Quest study was done entirely on-line and engaged 29 respondents. Among them 25 provided their responses and data via the Romanian version of the survey and 4 – via the English one. Summary of answers to the question "Are you male or female?"

Age Most of the respondents within the first phase of the study were of the age 21 –

31%

33 years old. 4 of the respondents were younger than 21 years, and 2 were older

Male

than 33 years.

Female 69%

Sex The

dominant

majority

(20)

of

the

respondents were female. There were only 9 men among the 29 respondents

Summary of answers to the question "What is your marital status?"

approached. Social Status

0% 14%

Page | 5 Not married

0%

The respondents were mainly young

Married

people, who are neither married nor Living in a relationship

living in a relationship. Only 4 of all 29 respondents were married. 86%

Separated or divorced

Residence The majority of the respondents resided in the city, mainly the capital of Moldova,

Summary of answers to the question "Where do you live?"

Chisinau. Some of them lived on the outskirts of the city. And only a couple of the respondents came from a rural

7% 10%

In a city

environment. This indicates that most of

On the outskirts of a city

the respondents have limited connection

In a village

to the Codru forest situated outside Chisinau, about 50 km from it.

83%


Summary of answers to the question "What is your highest education level?"

Education In terms of education, almost all the respondents had university education,

0%

either Bachelor or Master. Only 2 people

Primary school

6%

among the 29 respondents hadn’t entered the university yet.

Secondary school

49% 45%

Occupation

University, Bachelor University, Master

The occupation of the respondents was quite diverse. Among them one could find mostly

students,

freelancers,

and Summary of answers to the question "What is your main occupation?"

salaried workers. Their shares in the entire pool of respondents’ occupations

Not working

were more or less similar with the salaried 10%

worker being in the lead. 2 of the

0%

respondents indicated themselves as not working

(unemployed,

on

7%

leave,

pensioner, etc.), while 2 more chose the option “Other”.

28% 34%

Working at home / freelancer Pupil / student Salaried worker

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Affiliation

21%

For the first phase we reached the

Independent farmer Other

respondents mainly from our personal contacts

and

the

network

of

our

organization. Therefore, the dominant majority of them came from certain environmental

Summary of answers to the question "Are you a member / activist / volunteer in an environmental organization?"

non-governmental 0%

organizations (NGOs). This can be tolerated for a pilot study, but should be avoided

in

the

full

28% Yes

national-scale

No

surveying, as this creates bias towards environment-oriented scenarios.

Don't know 72%


Attitude towards Environment Attitudinal questions included in the Codru Quest survey were designed to understand the attitude of each respondent to general issues concerning the targeted ecosystem services, and then these ecosystem services in particular. In our case the questions were focused on the attitude towards nature environment protection in general and existence and development of nature reserves in Moldova. Interest in Nature and Environment Protection The dominant majority of the respondents stated their strong interest in nature and environment protection. Only 3 people indicated a medium level of

Summary of answers to the question "How would you characterize your own interest in nature and environment protection in general?"

interest. This is an expected result, as

0%

10%

most of the respondents came from our Small

partner environmental NGOs that we approached

for

the

first

data

Medium

and

Large

feedback on the survey. But this also indicates that the responses are biased

90%

towards concern for the environment and should be treated with attention. Attitude towards Nature Reserves in Moldova Judging by the respondents’ answers, the vast majority of them support the existence of natural reserves in Moldova, their further expansion, as well as the establishment of new protected areas with forests in the country. Only 1 – 3 people express negative attitude towards all these statements. However, here one should take into consideration that most of the respondents come from environmental organizations. It means that they express strategic behaviour of supporting environment-oriented initiatives, such as establishment and development of protected areas. In order to get more relevant data on this topic, more respondents not related to environment protection field should be surveyed.

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Summary of answers to the question "What is your attitude towards:"

25

22 19

20 15

Very positive

12

Positive Neutral

13

Negative

10 6 5

3 1

2 0

Very negative

5 2

0

0

1

0

1

0

Don't know

0

0 Existing Nature Reserves with forests in Moldova?

Expansion of existing Nature Establishment of new Nature Reserves and forests in Reserves with forests in Moldova? Moldova?

Attitude towards Nature in General Talking about the general attitude towards nature expressed by the respondents, the phase I results show that almost all of them are aware that nature in Moldova is threatened by anthropogenic activities. All the respondents agree on the importance of the diversity of plants and animals for the Moldovan nature, as well as on the bequest value of it, meaning that the nature should be preserved for future generations. Their views differ only on whether the nature should meet people’s needs and demand for outdoor recreation. Summary of answers to the question "Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?" 30

26

25 20

Strongly agree

22 18

17

15 10 10 5

9 8

7 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

Agree

11 6

4 0 1

3 0 0 0 0

Neither agree nor disagree 1 0 0 0

Disagree

0 Nature in Moldova is threatened by human activity

Nature in Moldova must have diversity of plants and animals

Nature in Moldova must meet people's demand for outdoor recreation

Nature in Concerns for Moldova must nature should be preserved for always be future prioritized above generations all others - no matter the cost

Strongly disagree Don't know

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Use of Forest Ecosystem The Codru Quest survey included also a number of questions on the use of the targeted environmental good, specifically forest ecosystem. Their aim was to determine what use a respondent makes of the good in question in order to test his/her familiarity with it and to distinguish users from non-users. With such questions we were able to assess whether our respondents are indeed familiar with forests and make use of their ecosystem services on a regular basis, periodically, occasionally, or practically not at all. Such information influenced the assessment of their answers to further questions regarding choice sets and scenarios. Importance of Elements of Forest Ecosystem and Infrastructure According to the phase I results, the respondents value a lot all elements of ecosystem and infrastructure of a forest. Mostly they prefer a pristine forest, but accept a certain share of it to be artificially planted and managed. This preferred forest should definitely have a large diversity of plant species and ideally be rich in insect biodiversity as well. Endangered species, such as small-flowered black hawthorn and stag beetle were preferred to be present, but not all respondents knew about them and their endangered status. Artificial infrastructure and services, such as trails, guided tours, and museum of nature were not appreciated as high as natural elements of a forest. Summary of answers to the question "How important are the following elements of a forest for your pleasant experience in it?" 30

27 Not important 23

25

22

20

18

17

18

18

17

16

Somewhat important

15 10 8

10

0

0

0

1

1

2

1

2

1

2

2

3

3 Don't know

Availability of a museum of nature

2

3

Trails and infrastructure for recreation

1

Large diversity of plant species

Pristine unmanaged forest

0

1

5

Presence of smallflowered black hawthorn

5 0

Very important

8

6

5 1

9

8

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Visits to Forest Ecosystem The respondents have good interaction Summary of answers to the question "How often have you visited the forest this year?"

with forests and seem to be familiar with the forest environment. This is what their answers show. The

respondents

claimed

that

0 times

0%

the

3%

majority of them visited forest more than

1-5 times

28%

once throughout the year. Only one

6-10 times

38%

person among the respondents had never

More than 10 times

been to a forest. The

average

time

spent

by

the

Don't know 31%

respondents in a forest was about 3 – 5 hours. Only two people had experienced a forest ecosystem for more than 5 hours.

While being in a forest, the respondents engaged mainly in such recreational activities as having a walk, taking photos, and enjoying nature and silence. A good number of them attended a guided tour through the forest and explored and studied the nature around – these are likely to be the participants of the MEGA Impact Championship, who participated in an excursion to the Codru Nature Reserve and the Codru forest with a guide and practical research-and-conservation related tasks to do. Summary of answers to the question "What activities did you do the last time you visited the forest?" 2

Other

0

Don't know

6

Organized picnic

23

Enjoyed silence

2

Collected insects

6

Watched animals

13

Studied nature

6

Picked berries / mushrooms / flowers / seeds, etc.

21

Took photos

5

Visited a museum of nature

10

Attended a guided tour

8

Went for a run

27

Went for a walk

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

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Access to Forest Ecosystem The availability of a forest ecosystem near the residence of the respondents varies.

Summary of answers to the question "How far do you live from the forest?"

Some live quite close to a forest (1 – 5 Less than 1 km

km), while others reside quite far from it 0% 10%

(more than 10 km). Only three people answered that they live very close, less

1-5 km

38%

6-10 km

than 1 km from a forest. However, in spite of such variety of

38%

distance to a forest, the respondents’ answers to the questions of this section

More than 10 km Don't know

14%

suggest that the majority of them are more or less active users of a forest ecosystem and its services and know what they want to see and experience in a forest. So, their choices of scenarios and Willingness-to-Pay (WTP) data they provided in further questions can be largely relied upon.

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Valuation Scenarios and Choice Sets The valuation scenarios and choice sets were the core of the Codru Quest survey. The valuation scenarios presented the respondents with the detailed description of the good to be evaluated and possible semi-fictitious changes in the provision of that good. There were three scenarios for the respondents to choose from in each of the six choice sets: business-as-usual / status quo scenario with no changes from the current state of the Codru Nature reserve and biodiversity in it, and the other two with certain changes in their elements / attributes. A total of five attributes for each scenario and choice set were chosen: 1. Total territory of the Codru Nature Reserve (specifically the strictly protected and the buffer zones); 2. Number of species of plants conserved; 3. Number of species of insects conserved; 4. Presence of symbolic species: small-flowered black hawthorn and stag beetle; 5. Payment vehicle: price to visit the Codru Nature Reserve and forest. The approach used for designing and presenting these alternatives, scenarios, and choice sets, and for the respondents to make their choices was selected to be the choice experiments. Here the respondents were analyzing the different levels of alternatives in each choice set, and choosing the scenario with the most desirable levels of attributes and the price among the two ones with changes and the status quo. The summary of the respondents’ answers below does not include calculation of WTP. This will be done in the second phase of the Codru Quest study.

Choice Set #1 In the first choice set the majority of the respondents chose Scenario 1 with the largest extension of the Codru Nature Reserve territory (5425 ha), largest biodiversity of plants (1100 species), medium biodiversity of insects (1220 species), abundant presence of hawthorn and stag beetle, and 90 – 110 MDL entrance fee. The confidence in the choices was rather high: 19 respondents were certain or very certain in their choice.

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20

Summary of answers to the question "Which of the following 3 scenarios of development of the Codru forest and the Codru Nature Reserve would you prefer?" 19 Scenario 0

15 Scenario 1

10 5

5

5

Scenario 2

0 Choice Set #1

Choice Set #2 In the second choice set the respondents’ answers were divided equally between Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. Both scenarios had the largest extension of the Codru Nature Reserve territory (5425 ha) and abundant presence of hawthorn and stag beetle. Scenario 1 included medium levels of plant biodiversity (1050 species) and insect biodiversity (1220 species) and 30 – 50 MDL entrance fee. Scenario 2 had highest levels of both plant (1100 species) and insect (1260 species) biodiversity and 90 – 110 MDL entrance fee. The confidence in the choices was very high: 26 respondents were certain or very certain in their choice. Summary of answers to the question "Which of the following 3 scenarios of development of the Codru forest and the Codru Nature Reserve would you prefer?" 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

12

12 Scenario 0

5

Scenario 1 Scenario 2

Choice Set #2

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Choice Set #3 In the third choice set the majority of the respondents chose Scenario 1 with medium extension of the Codru Nature Reserve territory (5300 ha) and 90 – 110 MDL entrance fee. The other levels of attributes were equal in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. The confidence in the choices was rather high: 19 respondents were certain or very certain in their choice. However, there were also 4 respondents, who expressed that they are uncertain or very uncertain regarding the scenario they had chosen. Summary of answers to the question "Which of the following 3 scenarios of development of the Codru forest and the Codru Nature Reserve would you prefer?" 20

16

Scenario 0

15 10

6

7

5

Scenario 1 Scenario 2

0 Choice Set #3

Page | 14 Choice Set #4 In the fourth choice set the majority of the respondents chose Scenario 1 with the highest insect biodiversity (1260 species), but medium presence of hawthorn and stag beetle, and 30 – 50 MDL entrance fee. The other levels of attributes were equal in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. The confidence in the choices was very high: 21 respondents were certain or very certain in their choice. However, there were also 4 respondents, who expressed that they are uncertain or very uncertain regarding the scenario they had chosen.


Summary of answers to the question "Which of the following 3 scenarios of development of the Codru forest and the Codru Nature Reserve would you prefer?" 20

17 Scenario 0

15 8

10 5

Scenario 1

4 Scenario 2

0 Choice Set #4

Choice Set #5 In the fifth choice set the majority of the respondents chose Scenario 2 with the medium extension of the Codru Nature Reserve territory (5300 ha), largest biodiversity of insects (1260 species), abundant presence of hawthorn and stag beetle, and 60 – 80 MDL entrance fee. The levels of plant biodiversity were equal in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. The confidence in the choices was very high: 21 respondents were certain or very certain in their choice. However, there were also 2 respondents, who expressed that they are uncertain or very uncertain regarding the scenario they had chosen. Summary of answers to the question "Which of the following 3 scenarios of development of the Codru forest and the Codru Nature Reserve would you prefer?" 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

13 11

5

Scenario 0 Scenario 1 Scenario 2

Choice Set #5

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Choice Set #6 In the sixth and final choice set the majority of the respondents chose Scenario 1 with the largest extension of the Codru Nature Reserve territory (5425 ha), medium plant biodiversity (1050 species), highest insect biodiversity (1260 species), and 60 – 80 MDL entrance fee. The levels of presence of hawthorn and stag beetle were equal in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. The confidence in the choices was very high: 22 respondents were certain or very certain in their choice. However, there were also 4 respondents, who expressed that they are uncertain or very uncertain regarding the scenario they had chosen. Summary of answers to the question "Which of the following 3 scenarios of development of the Codru forest and the Codru Nature Reserve would you prefer?" 20

17 Scenario 0

15 10

7

Scenario 1

5 5

Scenario 2

0 Choice Set #6

These are just summaries of the raw data from choice sets that are valuable for further study, but still tell little regarding the WTP and economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Codru Nature Reserve and the Codru forest. These data still needs to be supplied with more responses from larger sample of respondents, then used to estimate WTP values, analyzed, and finally presented in a clear and easily understandable way. All this is going to be done in the second and third phases of the Codru Quest study in 2017.

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Respondents’ Reasoning and Motives In the Codru Quest the choice sets were followed by the questions on reasoning and motives behind the respondents’ choices of scenarios. These questions serve the purpose to identify possible protests or unwillingness to pay for the targeted environmental good, such as improved ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services in the Codru Nature reserve and the Codru forest. In the further analysis of WTP data obtained from the survey these protests are going to be separated from valid zero bids and other valid responses. In addition to that, the reasoning questions provide some insights on the credibility of the valuation scenarios, relevance of the payment vehicle selected, perceived credibility of the Codru Nature Reserve as the institution providing the targeted good, etc. Payment for Ecosystem Services Judging by the respondents’ answers, the majority of them find the valuation

Summary of answers to the question "Do you think we should pay for these benefits that the forest gives us, just like we pay for other services?"

scenario credible and the approach of paying for ecosystem services the

24% Yes

Codru forest provides appropriate. There are also 7 respondents, who

52%

No

disagree with monetizing ecosystems and environment, and also 7, who haven’t

Don't know 24%

decided on their stance in this regard. Payment Vehicle If instead of a visitor fee selected for the Codru Quest survey as a payment vehicle

there would

have been an

increased local tax, this would have influenced

WTP

expressed

by

Summary of answers to the question "Do you think your willingness to pay would have been less, if instead of paying a visitor price you had been asked to pay an increased local tax?" 17%

21%

respondents in the choice sets. However,

Yes, somewhat less No

the change in WTP would not be significant.

Also

there

were

respondents, who hadn’t decided.

Yes, a lot

the

5

34%

28% Don't know

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Summary of answers to the question "Did you make your choices of scenarios on the basis of all 5 characteristics?"

Influence of Attributes While deciding on the scenarios and WTP values in the choice sets, the majority

of

respondents

attributes

of

consideration.

took

scenarios Still,

11

all

3%

into Yes

respondents 38%

preferred to focus on the characteristic,

No 59%

which they considered to be the most

Don't know

important one. With regard to the importance of specific attributes,

the

respondents’

answers

indicate that the number of plants and insects conserved represented the most important decision-making factors. The territory of the Codru Nature Reserve was also a comparatively strong factor that affected the choices of scenarios. The presence of endangered symbolic species, hawthorn and stag beetle, as well as the entrance fee to the Codru Nature Reserve and forest did not receive high significance among most of the respondents. Summary of answers to the question "To what extent did the specific characteristics influence you choices between the alternative scenarios?"

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14 12

13

13 None

11

10

10 8

9

9 Little

6

6

4 1

Some

3

4 2

9 9 9

8

10

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

0 Total territory of Number of the Codru species of plants Nature Reserve conserved

Number of species of insects conserved

Presence of symbolic species: hawthorn and stag beetle

Price to visit the Codru Nature Reserve and forest

Very much

Don't know

The respondents also indicated that their scenario choices were based largely on such considerations, as scenario’s influence on flora and fauna in the Codru forest and the well-being of communities living near it. Recreational opportunities in the forest and its use by the respondents were not considered as very important for decisions on choosing the scenarios.


Summary of answers to the question "To what extent were your choices between the alternative scenarios based on the following considerations?" 16 13

14

14

13

None

12

12 9

10

9 7

8 5

6 4 2

1

1

2

Little

7

6

5

1

2

5

Some

3 1

0

Very much

0 Scenario's influence Scenario's influence Scenario's influence Scenario's influence on plants and on the recreational on the well-being of on my personal use animals in the Codru opportunities in the communities living of the Codru forest forest Codru forest near the Codru forest

Don't know

Zero Valuations Among all the respondents only 5 of them selected Scenario 0 that represented business-as-usual / status quo case with

Summary of answers to the question "Did you choose the "Scenario 0" in all the questions?"

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no or very little WTP value. This might mean that the majority of respondents

17%

would like to see improvements in ecosystem conservation

services in

the

and

biodiversity

Codru

No

Nature

Yes

Reserve and the Codru forest. In relation to zero bids, the respondents,

83%

who had chosen them, motivated their choices that mainly the other scenarios were too expensive for such a cause, as well as that someone else (the Ministry of Environment / the Codru Nature Reserve administration / the Government) should finance the development described in other scenarios. Among these and other motives, only the ones related to expensive entrance fees, inability to pay them, and presence of another forest with similar ecosystem services near respondent’s location can be considered valid zero bids. The others, such as shifting the responsibility of payment to someone else and difficulty of answering the questions, are likely to be protest bids.


Summary of answers to the question "If yes, why?"

3

Other Don't know

1

The questions were too difficult for me to answer

1

The Ministry of Environment / the Codru Nature Reserve administration / the Government should finance this development, not citizens

5 1

I have another forest nearby that I visit I am not interested in the Codru Nature Reserve and forest

0

Nature and forests are not a priority for me

0

I already pay enough when I visit the Codru Nature Reserve and forest

0 1

I cannot afford to pay such large sums, as were given in other scenarios

3

The other scenarios were too expensive for such cause

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

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Respondents’ Feedback and Suggestions Finally, besides testing the survey and obtaining the first economic valuation data, the first phase of the Codru Quest study had an objective to receive feedback and suggestions for survey design improvement. This information will be used in the second phase for redesigning the structure and design of the survey, as well as for introducing gamification elements and mechanics into it to increase the response and completion rates and the quality of data obtained.

The respondents expressed the following opinions and suggested the following improvements:  Overall the survey is good.  The use of images in the questions is well received and appreciated.  The survey is too long with too many questions. In such way it becomes boring to fill it in till the end, and respondents might not take it seriously and provide qualitative responses. A suggestion here is to reformulate the questions differently, so that it would be more motivating and engaging for people to complete them.  The text describing the case and valuation scenarios is especially too long. A suggestion here is to shorten it and/or to replace/supply it with representative images.  The choice sets and scenarios within them were not understood by several respondents. This might cause the abandoning of the survey or providing random answers without thinking about them. A suggestion here is to customize the survey and make it more interactive in such way, that a respondent firstly selects the most important attributes for him/her, and then, on the basis of this selection, the respondent receives only 3 options to choose from.  The focus on certain species of plants and insects is too narrow. A suggestion here is to introduce the problem of protection of more animal species.  The sums of entrance fee in scenarios tax were considered rather high for some respondents. There are also large gaps between the values of different scenario fees. A suggestion here is to adjust them according to the average wages in the country and people’s feedback.  The questions about personal and household income should not be set as required, as they request confidential information that a respondent might not be willing to disclose.

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 The question about membership / activism / volunteering in an environmental organization can be moved to the end of the survey, specifically to the part about respondent’s profile and background.  Certain questions did not offer the respondents to present arguments / express their opinion / share ideas, etc. A suggestion here is to add fields for respondent’s comments for such questions.  A suggestion is that the survey can be also used to collect opinions and ideas of respondents on how the management and conservation activities in the nature reserves and/or forests can be improved. For this purpose the respective open-ended question(-s) can be introduced.  In addition, the survey can serve as a tool to collect people’s opinions regarding equality and equity, social inclusion, and policy-making within the topic of forest ecosystems and protected areas. Such information can then be used to prepare proposals for environmental projects. A suggestion here is to include additional questions asking respondents’ opinions on such aspects of environment protection and management.  The Romanian version of the survey should be reviewed, as it contains a number of grammar mistakes.

The feedback and suggestions listed above will be supplied with contributions from more respondents, then thoroughly analyzed and transformed into inputs for survey development during the second phase of the Codru Quest study. These inputs will be experimented with and implemented into the survey design and method of delivering the survey to respondents and obtaining their answers and WTP data. Finally the answers and data will be analyzed, and the results of the analysis will be published in a research article and presented publicly during the third and final phase of the Codru Quest study in 2017.

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Dear Friend,

We, the researchers of MEGA, express our gratitude to everyone, who has already contributed to the Codru Quest study and provided their valuable answers and useful feedback.

If you would like to get in touch with us, learn more about the study, and take part in it, please visit our website www.megageneration.com, send us a message to hello@megageneration.com, or follow us at www.facebook.com/mega.md.

We wish you a MEGA excellent day!

Yours Truly, The MEGA Team

MEGA, 2016. The Codru Quest: Phase I Results. Prepared by: Alexandr Iscenco

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Playing for Impact

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