United States of America — When tourists visit national parks in the United States, they want to see wildlife. It seems like they’re even willing to pay more if it increases the chance of seeing wildlife like bears, bison, and wolves.
This week, the Fort Collins Science Center released the results of a survey that asked 991 guests who visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks whether they would be willing to pay more entrance fees if it meant witnessing more wildlife sightings. The research study aimed to answer one critical question: “Would park visitors contribute funds to conservation projects if it meant they were more likely to view wildlife?”
The study found that the majority of guests supported paying more money, whether that be through an entrance fee, a conservation fund, or taxes inside the park. These proceeds would go towards projects that would protect wildlife and increase their populations. The study describes this support as “a potential win-win for conservation beneficiaries to contribute towards action at a scale necessary for biodiversity protection.”
While some people would be turned off by the increased fees, its estimated that a $5 conservation fee for guests would raise $2.7 million at Yellowstone and Grand Teton annually, but only decrease visitation by 1%. These fees would help not only to increase the wildlife population but also improve the guest experience. This is unless one of the guests tries to pet a bison, which would lead to a decline in the guest experience (disclaimer: this observation was not pointed out by the study).
If wildlife were to decrease, that could affect park visitation in a negative way. Around half of those surveyed said that they would visit the parks less often if there were fewer wildlife sightings, resulting in a potential visitation decrease of 16%.
I wonder if the results would have varied if they had interviewed guests at different national parks. One of the best parts of the experience at Yellowstone and Grand Teton is the wildlife viewings, so the audience that was sampled may be a little biased. Still though, a conservation fee is something that should be considered, especially at popular national parks like Yellowstone and Grand Teton.
You can read the full study here.
Image Credits: Tevin Trinh, Steven Cordes
