Environmental economic evaluation of the Mayan Zuhuy forest, Santa Ana - El Salvador

Abstract

Two edges are evaluated at the economic level of the evergreen tropical primary forest of the Selva Maya Zuhuy property: the first, based on the current market price of the property; and the second, an approach based on environmental economics. The latter uses the Contingent Valuation Method tool to assign monetary values to environmental goods and services provided by natural resources, regardless of whether they have a market where they can be traded, or the consumer's willingness to pay for them.

A stratified sampling was carried out as a non-destructive technique to calculate carbon sequestration, as part of the ecosystem services that this type of forest provides to the population. The research corresponds to an analytical descriptive level of quantitative approaches, which offer a basis for applied research with a prospective temporal scope; with a longitudinal sequential period of the study, allowing obtaining results that show the area of interest.

The conservation of the Maya Zuhuy jungle is in danger as it is not part of the Natural Protected Areas in the country; in addition to the fact that its resources are not being used in its entirety. The objective of assigning a market price to an environmental good is to seek solutions over time that guarantee the sustainable use of the environment and its resources. If this were to happen, El Salvador could place carbon credits on the international market, as currencies that could be used in a sustainable way.