Benefits of Environmentally Sensitive Area Policy in England: A Contingent Valuation Assessment

The Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme represents a response to contemporary concerns about the need to support traditional farming practices in areas where these have contributed to distinctive landscapes, wildlife habitats, and the preservation of archaeological and historical features. ESAs incur substantial costs, both financial and social. This study uses contingent valuation methods to estimate the benefits of ESAs, for both use and passive use values, and compares these to costs of ESAs.