Kotryna Klizentyte, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, UF
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ABSTRACT
The Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) provides critical water resources and ecosystem services across Florida and Georgia but faces mounting threats from over-extraction, pollution, and climate variability. To address these challenges, this study assesses public willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical Best Management Practices (BMP) incentive program designed to conserve the UFA by improving water quality, ecosystem health, and water availability for future generations. Using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) and latent class analysis, we measure preferences for key ecosystem services and explore the influence of socio-demographic characteristics and moral framing (fairness and loyalty) on WTP. Results indicate strong public support for human-centered benefits of the BMP program, particularly positive economic impacts for producers and water quantity improvements, with mean WTP values of $129.65 and $104.75, respectively. Latent class analysis reveals three distinct preference groups, highlighting the importance of tailored policy communication strategies to address cost sensitivity, ecological priorities, and socio-demographic variations. Moral framing significantly increased engagement, with fairness and loyalty frames reducing opt-out rates but reduced the WTP for all program attributes. These findings provide critical insights for policymakers and water managers to design socially supported BMP programs that cater to the appropriate audiences.
BIO
Kotryna Klizentyte, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Economics and Policy at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. Much of her research explores how people value and interact with many types of coastal and forested ecosystems, including studies on restoration projects, springs conservation, and invasive aquatic species management. She has worked on projects that quantify the economic benefits of coastal natural areas in southwest Florida, assess the social impacts of marine restoration, and evaluate how management policies shape recreation and community well-being. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Land Use Policy and Society & Natural Resources and has directly informed decision-making for agencies like NOAA and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Beyond research, Klizentyte is passionate about mentoring students and showing how economics can be used as a tool to solve real-world environmental problems. Since 2023, she has had seven undergraduate researchers volunteer at her lab. Additionally, she enjoys collaborating across disciplines to connect ecological science, policy, and community values in support of sustainable management.
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