Abstract:
One of the main challenges of the Argan value chain is the construction of a sustainable system
which can help on the development of the sector, its products and protecting the Argan tree. The
Souss Massa National Park can play a significant role in this respect, through the promotion of
the ecotourism aiming at the protection and conservation of the Argan tree heritage. This study
aims at estimating the willingness to pay to visit the Park, in the optics that those payments will
be dedicated to the protection of the Argan tree. In this study, the results of a survey based on the
contingent valuation method , done with a population from the province of Tiznit and online,
show that visitors are ready to pay (WTP) for the proposed services and circuit. According to the
Logit model, the results show an average value of WTP ranging from 37.6 MAD, while the
Probit model shows an estimated average ranging from 55.1 MAD. By supposing a number of
visits going of a pessimistic scenario of 100 000 visitors to a more optimistic scenario of 300 000
visitors, the public authorities can perceive between 3,8 Mdhs to 26,8 Mdhs per year by
establishing this willingness to pay as an entrance fee in the park. On the basis of the
investigation realized at the level of the province. The Tobit modelling, allowed us to estimate
the determining factors of willingness to pay. The factor ‘age’ has a negative impact on the
willingness to pay, while income, distance of the park and the ecological fiber had positive
effects. On the other hand, the Web survey allowed us to identify some significant and different
parameters, such as the nationality, the marital status, the educational level, the size of the
household, the income and the knowledge of the park |
