Putting a price tag on wolves – alive

January 21, 2013

January issue of the Spanish Quercus magazine shares interesting facts on the economic benefits of having wolves around.

January issue of the Spanish Quercus magazine shares interesting facts on the economic benefits of having wolves around.

According to a recent ecotourism study, ca 50% of hotel visitors in the vicinity of La Culebra mountain range in Spain said wolves are the main reason of their visit. In some cases, the “wolf factor” was as high as 80%. The annual income from this amounts to 440,000 euros for hotels and restaurants alone.

La Culebra area became a wolf tourism location some 20 years ago and has established itself as the spot to come to when you want to see wolves in Spain, thus attracting visitors from both home and abroad. Similar initiatives have since emerged in other parts of northern Spain and Portugal.

The study, presented at a wolf conference last autumn, advocates that wolves are indeed worth more alive than dead.

Quercus magazine

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