UWA PLUS
Valuing Environmental and Natural Resources
Environmental assets and natural resources can be valued in many different ways. This micro-credential focuses on how to apply: the contingent valuation survey method; the travel cost survey method; and the hedonic price method to value environmental assets. The first two approaches involve using either on-line or infield surveys to collect information from members of society and translating this information into a dollar value estimate. These methods are called stated preference methods. The third method involves using house sale price data to estimate the amenity value of environmental assets or the disamenity of pollution. The estimates of value from these approaches can be used to inform decision making around maintaining terrestrial and marine parks, and other public spaces. The content of this micro-credential covers all aspects associated with implementing these three methods, from survey design to data processing, data analysis, calculation of net community values, and report drafting. At the completion of course participants will have all the skills required to conduct primary contingent valuation, travel cost and hedonic price studies; and evaluate the quality of existing studies.
Upon successful completion of this micro-credential, you'll receive:
- Six PD Points
- A Certificate of Achievement
- A UWA Plus Professional Development Transcript, listing all successfully completed micro-credentials
- Delivery mode
- On-line
- Availability
- 2024 availability will be updated soon
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Effort
- Total learning hours including contact hours, personal study, and assessment are 150hrs. The structured activities across 12 weeks include approximately:
- 18 hours of online recorded lecture content
- 18 hours of computer based practical examples
- The balance of activities varies with each topic module
- Academic lead
- Associate Professor Michael Burton
- Cost
- $990 inc. GST
- Critical information summary
- ECONM541 Valuing Environmental and Natural Resources (PDF 245KB)
What you'll learn
Explain the relationship between different measures of welfare change
Design survey instruments that can be used to obtain non-market values for environmental assets
Analyse both survey and market data to obtain willingness-to-pay estimates for environmental assets, and evaluate the quality of estimates
Combine analytical skills and theory knowledge to critically evaluate existing non-market valuation studies
Practical skills for the estimation of complex linear and generalised linear models using the open source software platform R
Why study this course?
This course provides practical skills in the core methods used to obtain values for environmental assets, and also provides advanced applications on using R. This course would be excellent for anyone thinking of taking the UWA Master of Environmental Economics degree (online) or the UWA Master of Environmental Science degree, before committing to the full Master degree program.
Who should study this course
Anyone in understanding methods that can be used to value environmental assets, or anyone looking to further their knowledge of how to estimate linear and generalised linear model in R. This course would also be highly valuable to anyone working directly in environmental management, or anyone that has to evaluate environmental consultant reports.
Recommended prior knowledge
- Some familiarity with the R statistical software platform would be an advantage.
What's next after this course?
This course can be used as credit when commencing the UWA Master of Environmental Economics degree (online) or the UWA Master of Environmental Science degree.