@article{bac2cf861d9a49a080a7fd5343e411b7,
title = "Valuing user preferences for geospatial fire monitoring in guatemala",
abstract = "Like many landscapes across Central America, forests in Guatemala{\textquoteright}s Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) are increasingly susceptible to forest fire, with most forest fires resulting from un-tended agricultural fires. Fire damage poses significant risk to the MBR{\textquoteright}s natural resources and cultural heritage, but budget challenges limit the capacity of national, regional, and local institutions to effectively detect, monitor, and control forest fires. The Geospatial Information System for Fire Management (SIGMA‐I) is a United States government‐subsidized suite of geospatial fire management tools that are widely disseminated, free of charge, to land managers and other users in Guatemala for on‐the‐ground fire prevention and response. Provision of SIGMA‐I geospatial data and tools such as daily thermal “hotspot” maps provide positive benefits for sustainable fire manage-ment. However, little research exists supporting the nonmarket monetary value of geospatial fire monitoring tools and their component features. We used a choice experiment to estimate land man-agers{\textquoteright} willingness to pay for individual attributes of SIGMA‐I hotspot mapping in Guatemala. We found quantitative evidence of positive willingness to pay for geospatial data, demonstrating positive nonmarket value of geospatial data for sustainable fire management in developing countries and regions where agricultural fires are common. Our results indicate strong preferences from Gua-temala{\textquoteright}s forest fire management community for improving the frequency of hotspot reporting and reducing detection of erroneous hotspots. As the availability of geospatial data increases, use of tools like SIGMA‐I has the potential to significantly improve fire management, especially in regions where funding and resources for fire management are scarce. Our results support continued multi-national funding for tools like SIGMA‐I for forest fire management in Guatemala and other developing countries.",
keywords = "Choice experiment, Forest fire, Geospatial, Guatemala, Hotspot, Maya Biosphere Reserve, NASA, Remote sensing, SERVIR, USAID, Value of information, Willingness to pay",
author = "Jared Berenter and Isaac Morrison and Mueller, {Julie M.}",
note = "Funding Information: The primary resource for early fire detection in Guatemala is a suite of Earth obser‐ vation tools and data products known as the Geospatial Information System for Fire Man‐ agement (SIGMA‐I). SIGMA‐I was developed by CEMEC with technical and financial support from a joint development initiative of the NASA and the USAID called SERVIR Global and is administered in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). SIGMA‐I began as a series of empirical assessments of the threats posed by forest fires in Pet{\'e}n. Developed in 2010, these assessments relied on historical data to analyze fire scar‐ ring, fire causality, and fire risk in the MBR. They were designed to inform central‐level planning decisions for forest fire management, including prioritization of municipalities with high fire‐risk and allocation of resources and personnel for fire response. Funding Information: Funding: The data used in this paper were collected as part of a performance evaluation conducted by Management Systems International, a Tetra Tech company, and by Development and Training Services, a Palladium company. The evaluation research was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3) Analytics and Evaluation Project (Contract No. AID‐OAA‐M‐13‐00017). The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily the views and opinions of the United States Agency for International Development. This paper was prepared independently from that performance evaluation and received no additional external funding. Funding Information: The data used in this paper were collected as part of a performance evaluation conducted by Management Systems International, a Tetra Tech company, and by Development and Training Services, a Palladium company. The evaluation research was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3) Analytics and Evaluation Project (Contract No. AID?OAA?M?13?00017). The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily the views and opinions of the United States Agency for International Development. This paper was prepared independently from that performance evaluation and received no additional external funding. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",
year = "2021",
month = nov,
day = "1",
doi = "10.3390/su132112077",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "13",
journal = "Sustainability (Switzerland)",
issn = "2071-1050",
publisher = "MDPI AG",
number = "21",
}