Economic Valuation of the Recreational Use of Mãe Bonifácia State Park

This study aims to extract monetary values that express the recreational use value of the Mãe Bonifácia State Park (PEMB), using the Contingent Valuation and Travel Cost methods. The study was carried out using data collected in the PEMB, which is located in the western region of the municipality of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, between the geographical coordinates 15º34'44"S and 56º05'16"W, with an area of 77.16 hectares, with the Avenues Miguel Sutil, Senador Filinto Müller and Rua Corsino do Amarante as its boundaries, using questionnaires. The values obtained using the Travel Cost Method show that visitors to the park are willing to pay the equivalent of 1.84/person/visit to the park. The results obtained using the Contingent Valuation Method show that 63% of those interviewed would be willing to pay between R$0.50 and R$1.00 to enter the park, 25% between R$1.00 and R$3.00, 5% between R$3.00 and R$5.00.