Recreational ecosystem service benefits from the Chestermere Lake Reservoir : value for day use non-resident visitors

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dc.contributor.authorBewer, Robert
dc.contributor.supervisorBjornlund, Henning
dc.contributor.supervisorXu, Wei
dc.date.accessioned2013-11-29T21:04:53Z
dc.date.available2013-11-29T21:04:53Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.descriptionx, 125 leaves : col. ill. ; 29 cmen_US
dc.description.abstractIrrigation infrastructure provides many ecosystem service (ES) benefits that enhance the well-being of Albertans and is central to economic activity in southern Alberta. Management of irrigation infrastructure and water resources is becoming increasingly challenging as Alberta’s population and economy grows. Past water allocation decisions have not generally considered the need of ecosystems leading to declining ecosystem health, and changes to provision of ES benefits in Alberta. The goals of current Alberta government policy include changing how water and land is managed to ensure that ecosystem health and ES provision is maintained. The research in this thesis concentrates on establishing the value of recreational ES benefits provided by the Chestermere Lake Reservoir, and obtaining information on the spatial aspects and visitor characteristics. A mixed method approach is used combining a qualitative discussion with a quantitative analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) and the travel cost method (TCM). The selection of the mixed method and combined GIS-TCM approach was based on past success in previous studies. The findings reveal a substantial value for recreational ES benefits provided by the Chestermere Lake Reservoir occurring within a limited area similar to other studies of recreational benefits from reservoirs. The findings of this research provide information for decisions makers, water infrastructure managers, and water transfer participants when assessing the impact of planned actions. Further research is recommended to build upon the findings of this study and further expand the available information on ES benefits to include all ES provided by southern Alberta.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/3314
dc.language.isoen_CAen_US
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Geography, c2012en_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Geographyen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)en_US
dc.subjectEcosystem services -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectEcosystem management -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectRecreation -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectIrrigation -- Alberta -- Managementen_US
dc.subjectWater -- Management -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectChestermere Lake Region (Alta.)en_US
dc.subjectDissertations, Academicen_US
dc.titleRecreational ecosystem service benefits from the Chestermere Lake Reservoir : value for day use non-resident visitorsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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