Preferences for Ecosystem Services: A Methodology for Conducting a Discrete Choice Experiment in Developing Regions

Stated preferences are a widely used economic valuation approach that has implications for informing policy in the agricultural, food, environmental and resource sectors. In particular, Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) have undergone substantial advancements in methodological design and implementation, with applications in both developed and developing countries. However, in the Caribbean region the use of DCEs for non-market valuation can be further advanced and extended. This paper presents a step-by-step methodological approach to designing DCEs from conceptualisation to analysis using the case study of mangrove ecosystem services valuation in Tobago. The focus of the paper is on DCE design, implementation and empirical approaches to analysis. The explicit purpose is to offer a guide to researchers with limited to no previous knowledge of using DCEs in economic valuation contexts, particularly for use in the Caribbean region and developing country contexts.