About This Project

Rivers are an important part of the natural environment. They provide habitat for fish, crayfish, insects, snails, as well as birds and mammals. They regulate the amount of water in the environment by discharging excess water into the seas and oceans. Rivers are also attractive for tourism, with many people enjoying their leisure time near them. The purpose of the study is to identify the attributes of rivers that determine their attractiveness from the public's point of view.

Who is researcher?

Sławomir Konopa graduated with a bachelor's and master's degree in economics, and his master's thesis won first place for the  Award of the Entrepreneurship Council at the President of the Republic of Poland  for the best master's thesis in the field of entrepreneurship in Poland. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in economics and is a MA student of geography at Jagiellonian University in Cracow. Sławomir has received a scholarship from the National Science Center. He is currently working as a Research Assistant at the University of Agriculture in Cracow in two grants on forest changes under the influence of climate change. He also has an  instagram  with photos of nature. 

What is the context of this research?

Poland's rivers are heavily polluted. In 2022 there was a  natural disaster on the Oder River,  the second largest river in Poland. This event caught the attention of the media. This is the second major natural disaster on Polish rivers in recent years (in 2020, Poland's largest river, the  Vistula, was poisoned  due to a sewage treatment plant disaster. Due to pollution, many fish species have become extinct in Polish rivers, and other animals such as crayfish have become rare. In addition, many rivers have had their course artificially altered. Rivers in cities have concrete banks, and resting places have been built on the banks. Few rivers with an entirely natural character remain. Mainly mountain rivers in short segments near their sources have retained their naturalness. 

What is the significance of this project?

To the best of the author's knowledge, the only comprehensive study conducted covering several river functions has been conducted in  China. There are no studies conducted in regions other than Asia. Most studies have focused on only one aspect: water quality, biodiversity, landscape or tourism functions. None of the studies found by the author use the concept of willigness to travel, in all articles the authors calculate willigness to pay. 

What are the goals of the project?

The goal of the project is to estimate willingness to travel (WTT) for individual river attributes corresponding to the various functions studied. The survey will empirically test the public's preferences for river functions and thus rank them from most important to least important. The survey will test the importance of species biodiversity, water quality, landscape and tourism functions. The aim of the survey is to find out whether the average citizen values natural rivers, which are almost non-existent in Poland, more than those heavily altered by man. The results of the study will allow better adjustment of spatial management regarding the development of riverside areas in the future. Based on the results of the survey, a scientific article will be written and sent to a journal.

Budget

Funding is requested to cover the experimental survey and its design. An online survey will be conducted for the study, saving time and money. A minimum of about 400 respondents is needed to provide a reliable estimate of WTT. Surplus money collected will be used to survey additional respondents. In surveys using the discrete choice experiment method, it is advisable to properly design the survey graphically, a graphic designer will be hired for this purpose.. Project is not externally funded. When you donate, you also subscribe to the updates about the progress of research.

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