How spatial variation influences landowner willingness to provide ecosystem services

Within conservation literature increasing attention is on conservation opportunity valuing actual implementation. Previously focus has been on conservation priority among areas with the highest biological value or lowest cost. However, when nature management has to take place on private land through voluntary agreement it becomes important to know landowner preferences for such agreements. This study combines data from a choice experiment on landowner preferences with spatial data on the need for biodiversity conservation, groundwater protection and recreation. The aim is to discuss if spatial variation influences landowner preferences and the possibility of including preferences when prioritizing Preliminary results show a negative impact of increasing population density on willingness to provide recreation.