Valuing the benefits of river catchment management under changing climate in Finland

Climate change, alongside human activities, poses significant challenges to the management of water bodies. Both flooding and stream drying are pressing concerns, with climate change expected to increase the likelihood of these phenomena in the future. This paper employs a discrete choice experiment (CE) to investigate public preferences for a hypothetical management programme designed to adapt to the effects of climate change and to improve the ecological condition of streams within the River Lepsämänjoki catchment in Southern Finland. The CE scenarios are described using six attributes: flood effects, drying effects, water quality, biodiversity, accessibility to recreational areas, and a management fee. In addition, this paper explores the implicit psychological connection that residents form between themselves and rivers or streams within a catchment area. The results suggest that most individuals are in favour of implementing a new water management programme to mitigate local environmental impacts. On average, individuals value flood and drought mitigation, as well as improvements in water quality and biodiversity. However, they appear indifferent to improvements in accessibility to stream sites. The empirical results also reveal that a sense of connectedness with nature is positively associated with the valuation of enhancements in the local stream environment. • Choice experiment with catchment residents to assess stream-related preferences. • Residents expressed stronger support for mitigating flood over drought impacts. • Validity of the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) measure was tested. • Nature connectedness functions as an explanatory variable in choice models. • New primary valuation studies are needed on stream drying in catchments.