The economic valuation of environmental assets is an important criterion that subsidizes the decision-making in the policies definition that manage natural resources. Therefore, it was aimed to valuing the Área de Proteção Ambiental Estadual da Cachoeira das Andorinhas (APAE/CA - State Environmental Protection Area of Cachoeira das Andorinhas), an important Conservation Unit in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais State, with 18,700 hectares of extension. Despite having an important natural heritage, such environmental asset has degraded areas in addition to the lack of the necessary supporting by the management organs for its effective use. As a study area, the Rio das Velhas sub-basin was defined, where APAE/CA is inserted, covering districts located in Ouro Preto and Itabirito municipalities. By using the Contingent Valuation, through the approach of Hanemann (1984) and the bootstrapping method, it was achieved the monthly meadian willingness to pay (DPA) per capita of the districts involved in the improvement and preservation of APAE/CA of R$15.43. The economic value calculated for the environmental asset was R$10,398,030.12, representing the annuals benefits provided by APAE/CA which are noticed by the interviewed people. Environmental perception variables were used together with the evaluation, in order to verify its impact on DAP under study. The results pointed that the perception and the environmental valuation are positively correlated.
State Environmental Protection Area of Cachoeira das Andorinhas; Contingent Valuation Method; Willingness to Pay
