Willingness and motivation of residents to pay for the conservation of urban green spaces: A case study from the city of Puerto Maldonado, southeastern Peruvian Amazon

• USGs have a fundamental role in the recreational patterns of residents of the city of Puerto Maldonado, department of Madre de Dios, Peru's Biodiversity Capital. • Hypothetical price and age exert a significant negative influence, while education and monthly income exert a positive influence on residents' payment decisions. • Living habits influence the enjoyment of nature (existence, bequest and option value) in the UGS. This study assessed the conservation value of urban green spaces (UGS) in Puerto Maldonado city, in the southeast Peruvian Amazon by using a contingent valuation method. It also explored the motives behind payment and identified residents' recreational patterns in the use of UGS. A total of 343 residents were interviewed using simple random probability sampling in different regions of the city. 69.39% of the respondents were willing to pay (WTP) for UGS conservation. 47.52% access the UGS with a family member and 37.61% with a friend, while 11.66% visit alone. The average value of WTP was US$ 2.63 per resident or household per month. Low trust in government institutions was the primary factor contributing to the 31% of respondents who would not pay for UGS conservation. According to logistic regression analysis (logit), the value of WTP is related to monthly income, age, education and satisfaction. The results suggested that the payment intention of individual residents is primarily linked to existence value, followed by option value and bequest value.