Designing a choice modelling survey to assess community values for better NRM outcomes in Queensland

This report outlines the different design stages of an evaluation survey conducted as part of the AG13 project. The aim of the valuation exercise is to understand the public costs and benefits of particular changes in land management practices, to achieve improved NRM outcomes. The results from the evaluation survey, i.e.community values for improvements in resource condition will then be assessed in a cost-benefit framework against the potential costs and production losses to landholders that are estimated in another component of the AG13 project.The valuation survey will assess community values and preferences for improvements in resource condition. The valuation will also determine how these values may change from region to region according to the environmental issues and impacts involved, and how values may vary across different population groups, inside and outside of catchments. These values will be assessed at both the regional and state level and will require a number of case studies to include:(a) a general study of values held by Queenslanders across the six NAP catchment areas;(b) a specific study within a catchment that assessed values held by the local population compared to the state population; and(c) a specific study between two catchments that assessed how community values changed when very different resources and improvements were involved. For example, community values may differ between a Murray-Darling catchment and one draining into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.Assessing the values associated with improvements in resource condition requires specialist non-market valuation techniques because there is no market for environment goods and services in which their value might be revealed. In this project the Choice Modelling valuation technique was applied. This method was selected because of its ability to assess different attributes of a particular good. In thiscase the good being valued (improvements in resource condition) were described in terms of soil, water and vegetation condition. In this report, the different components in the process of designing a Choice Modelling valuation survey are outlined and discussed. The results from the survey and how they will be applied will be discussed in another research report.