Valoración económica de la provisión del recurso hídrico en la Reserva Forestal Protectora Del Cerro Quininí (Tibacuy-Cundinamarca)

Abstract

Quininí Hill was declared a Protective Forest Reserve due to its own attributes as a strategic place for conservation. The main research problem found was the absence of a participatory economic assessment tool that contributes to the search for solutions to the problems associated with the efficient allocation of water resources in the Hill. The present research is aimed at estimating the economic value of the Protective Forest Reserve the Quininí- PFRQ, as a supplier of water resources. For this, the study was structured in three main sections; The first one related to the identification of the community perception on the main problems associated to the water resource in the PFRQ and possible alternative solutions, through participative research methodologies. In this regard, it was found that the community recognizes as its main problem the lack of awareness about the importance of the PFRQ for water supply and proposes as alternative solutions reforestation, agroforestry systems and the implementation of workshops with the community. The second part of the study aimed to evaluate the water supply service through the cost-based valuation methodology, in order to farther the necessary measures to guarantee it. A net present value of $ 1,228,779,268 COP was therefore estimated. Finally, in order to calculate the willingness to pay for the necessary measures for the conservation of the Hill identified in the first part of the investigation, from the community downstream the Quininí Hill, the contingent valuation method was applied, where it was estimated that the community is willing to contribute $ 5.050 COP monthly on average per family.