Abstract
Climate change is a multidimensional issue with serious environmental and socio-economic implications. Mountain areas, in particular, show high vulnerability to climate change. Among others, alterations in temperature and precipitation can severely affect freshwater ecosystems, in terms of both quality and quantity. As a result, services provided by river ecosystems will deteriorate, affecting economic activities and social welfare. This study comprises one of the first attempts to monetize non-market benefits of adaptation to climate change impacts on mountainous rivers. In this direction, a choice experiment was conducted using a face-to-face survey to examine the preferences of Konitsa’s residents, a mountain settlement located in the Prefecture of Ioannina (Greece). Simple and extended Conditional Logit models were calibrated in order to analyze trade-offs of choices and to estimate the welfare effects of climate change adaptation measures. The resulting values and reliability considerations indicate that people support adaptation actions, being willing to pay for all river services.