Environmental equity and the conservation of unique ecosystems: An analysis of the distribution of benefits for protecting southern Appalachian spruce-fir forests

Some critics in the environmental equity literature argue that low-income p opulations disproportionately have environmental risks while the wealthy an d better educated gain disproportionately from protecting unique ecosystems . We test this hypothesis in an analysis of the decline of southern Appalac hian spruce-fir forests. We calculate willingness-to-pay measures for fores t protection through a contingent valuation survey. Survey respondents cons ider spruce-fir forest protection to be a normal good (income elasticity: 0 .421). Education does not influence willingness to pay. In an assessment of willingness to pay scaled by income, we found that income has a negative e ffect, implying that as income increases, willingness to pay as a percentag e of income decreases. Education weakly influences willingness to pay in th is assessment. Given the substantial existence and bequest values associate d with these forests, these results substantiate our rejection of the hypot hesis that conserving this unique ecosystem only benefits the wealthy and b etter educated.