Sonja Kolstoe

I specialize in using revealed and stated preference methods to value environmental goods and services. Revealed preference data allows me to study how people value environmental goods and services that facilitate outdoor recreation based on what has historically been observed, to include human-caused disturbances. Whereas stated preference (SP) data allows me to study people’s preferences over all values as well as evaluate preferences for potential management and/or policy options. I use both traditional data sets (e.g. survey data, permits, American Community Survey, etc.) and novel data sources (e.g. citizen science, GIS, satellite data, etc.) in my economic analyses of human dimensions of wildlife and outdoor recreation.

A persistent theme throughout my work is the exploration of novel and large data sources, such as citizen science (e.g. eBird) and satellite data and how they can be combined with traditional data sets (e.g. survey data) to overcome data limitations. In the past I have shown it is possible to use samples of convenience such as eBird to value bird biodiversity to birdwatchers as well as use the data to analyze welfare effects under forecasted changes. I have also worked on demonstrating how sample selection techniques can be applied to samples of conveniences (from citizen science projects and social media) to render the estimates more representative of the general populations.

Nonmarket value of ecosystem services, outdoor recreation, biodiversity