Willingness to Pay for Forest Restoration in Togo: Comparison of Estimates From Choice Experiment, Contingent Valuation and Travel Cost Methods

ABSTRACT Many regions of the world aim to increase their forest cover to sequester carbon, improve biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, or provide more recreational opportunities. To achieve this, several forest restoration programs have been implemented in developing countries. This study examines the willingness to pay (WTP) of Togolese citizens for the afforestation program in Togo, using the choice experiment (CE) method, the contingent valuation (CV) method, and the travel cost (TC) method. The WTP obtained with the TC method is higher than that with the stated preference methods (CE and CV) ($180.77 for TC vs. $2.95 for CE and $58.76 for CV). Additionally, respondents expressed positive WTP for attributes such as carbon sequestration, erosion reduction, biodiversity improvement and the organisation that manages forest policies. Our results contribute to the literature comparing these methods, and our study is the first conducted in Togo to use all three methods in an environmental context.