Abstract
On Amami-ohshima Island, an endangered fish, Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis (Japanese name, ryukyu-ayu), inhabits several streams. This study examined the value of the fish that people both living on and off the island had using the contingent valuation method. Through questionnaire surveys, we asked the donation amount people were willing to pay to prevent the local extinction of the fish and sorted the attributes of the respondents associated with their monetary worth using stepwise regression analysis. Among respondents living on the island, monetary worth was higher in people who were of the opinion that the natural environment contributes to the education of their children, but lower in people who had suffered from flooding. As for respondents living outside the island (residents of Tokyo and Kagoshima), higher values were associated with people who took an interest in nature conservation and/or field trips and/or who had visited the island. To motivate residents to conserve the ryukyu-ayu, it is important to take measures to guarantee the inhabitants safety from flooding and to initiate educational programs emphasizing the importance of island environments.
