Ökonomische Grundlagen der Wanderwege in der Schweiz

Summary ECOPLAN
Vaud and Valais, it is the municipalities that cover most of the expenses. In the remaining 16
cantons the costs are shared to varying degrees between the canton and the municipalities.
In addition, volunteer or only partially paid workers help finance the upkeep of the hiking
trails. Their work leads to a saving of about 10% of the standard costs.
Recreational and health benefits of hiking
Hiking has undisputed major recreational and health benefits. No research has been con-
ducted to date, however, that allows those benefits to be quantified and measured in mone-
tary terms. The following relationships are nevertheless known to exist.
� The extensive network of hiking trails provides the general public with a free, and there-
fore generally accessible, opportunity to engage in leisuretime exercise. In addition to ac-
tual hikers, the network regularly attracts walkers, joggers, fitness walkers and cyclists,
especially in the vicinity of residential areas.
� The hiking trails have a direct impact on the health of people who hike regularly, which is
the case of about 5% of hikers (about 98,000 hikers). In addition, the health benefits for
people who say hiking is their main sport (10% of the population) or only sport (3% of the
population) are not to be underestimated. It is likely that these groups would exercise
measurably less were the hiking trails not to exist, and this would have a corresponding
negative impact on health.
� Individual studies have also shown that bodies of water provided with shore trails and
forest segments constitute a significant benefit for which the population or the hikers
would even be willing to pay some kind of “entry fee”.
Comparison of costs and benefits
Hiking, like other fields, lends itself to a comparison of costs and benefits. This has been
done diagrammatically in Table K-6, which considers the question from the standpoint of
hikers and of society. Although this study was only able to quantify some of the costs and
benefits (see blue fields in Table K-6), some insight is nevertheless to be gained from the
overall results.
� With regard to individuals: according to economic theory, individuals only engage in
activities the benefits of which are equal to or greater than the costs.
� With regard to society: even a 1% reduction in hospital costs as a result of the improve-
ments in health brought about by hiking would save the public purse more than 70 million
Swiss francs. This would more than make up for the estimated standard costs of maintain-
ing a well-tended network of hiking trails.
46