The economic recreational value of a white stork nesting colony: A case of ‘stork village’ in Poland

In this paper, we estimate the economic value of selected ecosystem services provided by white storks in a Polish ‘stork village’. A stork village is a common name for a village with a white stork breeding colony, often inhabited by more storks than people. Zywkowo, the best known stork village in Poland, receives approximately 2000–5000 tourists annually, many of whom come from abroad. The village has approximately 20–40 white stork nests and several amenities designed to improve its recreational attractiveness. To estimate the economic benefits provided by the stork village, we apply the Travel Cost Method (TCM). This study is the first of this type for a stork village and the first related to the value of birds in Poland. Our results represent a useful contribution to tourism management, indicating that nature has economic value and illustrating how this value can be translated into economic benefits. It also serves as a clear illustration that the degradation of nature may entail economic losses.