ASSESSING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS TO CONSERVE THE ENDEMIC SPECIES Picea omorica (Pančić) Purk. IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
UDK 582.475:502.131.1(497.6) Adoption and implementation of sustainable biodiversity conservation policy is essential for sustaining natural resources. But development of effective strategies to achieve them is problematic. This is often the case due to the limited knowledge about the impact of biodiversity conservation policies on livelihood of local people. This study uses dichotomous choice format to assess cost and willingness to engage in the conservation of an endemic species – Picea omorica (Pančić) Purk.in Bosnia Herzegovina. The empirical data was generated from sites in the vicinity of Srebrenica, north east Bosnia and Herzegovina. The data was analyzed with the aid of the logit regression model. The study showed that the respondents’ mean willingness to pay per year to conserve the pine was 1.4 percent of their income from non-timber forest products. The decision to conserve Picea omorica was influenced by factors such as cost associated with conservation, income from non-timber forest products, the distance of the respondent’s residence to the site location, education and occupation.