Value of Biodiversity Conservation
Attributes
Medium: Animals, Plants and/or Others
Country: Philippines
Analytical Framework(s): Contingent Valuation
Unit(s): Mean WTP
Study Date: 2001
Publication Date: 2005
Major Result(s)
| Category | Resource/Environmental Good | PHP, per year (2001) |
PHP, per year (2014)1 |
USD, per year (2014)2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Administered | Mean WTP towards biodiversity conservation (Quezon City) | 233.00 | 377.35 | 8.44 |
| Self-Administered | Mean WTP towards biodiversity conservation (Cebu City) | 135.00 | 218.64 | 4.89 |
| Self-Administered | Mean WTP towards biodiversity conservation (Puerto Princesa City) | 278.00 | 450.23 | 10.07 |
| Personal Interview | Mean WTP towards biodiversity conservation (Quezon City) | 437.00 | 707.73 | 15.82 |
| Personal Interview | Mean WTP towards biodiversity conservation (Cebu City) | 285.00 | 461.56 | 10.32 |
| Personal Interview | Mean WTP towards biodiversity conservation (Puerto Princesa City) | 496.00 | 803.28 | 17.96 |
About the Inflation Adjustment: Prices in Philippines (PHP) changed by 61.95% from 2001 to 2014 (aggregated from annual CPI data), so the study values were multiplied by 1.62 to express them in 2014 prices. The study values could be expressed in any desired year (for example, to 2025) by following the same inflation calculation and being sensitive to directional (forward/backward) aggregations using your own CPI/inflation data.
Study Note: The focus of this study is the economic valuation of biodiversity conservation of the Tubbataha Reefs, a UNESCO world heritage site located in the Sulu Sea,Philippines. This site is rich in marine biodiversity. A popular scuba diving destination around the globe, it supports the neighboring fishing ground with its teeming fisheries,but has been greatly threatened by society's wasteful and destructive use. Efforts to protect the area need to be sustained and even expanded, but would Filipinos be willing to support the protection of this world heritage site?
Study Details
Summary: The willingness-to-pay (WTP) of Filipinos towards biodiversity conservation of the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park (TRNMP) was assessed in three cities: Quezon City, Cebu City, and Puerto Princesa City. Two variants of data collection; personal interviews (PI) and self-administered surveys (SA), were employed in adichotomous choice contingent valuation method (CVM) involving 3,200 respondents. Of the survey forms, 2591 were found complete and used in the analysis. Across sites and CVM modes, 41% of the 2591 respondents (47% for PI and 31% for SA) were willing to pay towards a trust fund for biodiversity conservation of the TRNMP. The main motives for positive WTP were: bequest value/motive (concern for future generations), existence value/motive (on the rights of marine plants and animals to exist and on one's pleasure knowing that the Tubbataha Reefs exist), altruistic value/motive, and good cause. The main reasons for non-willingness to pay were: limited income, the belief that conservation would take place without the respondent's contribution, and mistrust of the institutions handling the conservation funds. Bid price significantly and negatively affected the willingness to pay, whileannual income, education, familiarity with marine biodiversity, and education level positively contributed to WTP. The average WTP values using SA (PHP 233 for Quezon City, PHP 135 forCebu City, and PHP 278 for Puerto Princesa City) were lower than the values obtained from PI (PHP 437 for Quezon City, PHP 285 for Cebu City, and PHP 496 for Puerto Princesa City). For the household population of the three cities the aggregate WTP ranged from PHP 141 million using SA to PHP 269 million using PI. This amountrepresents a potential resource to finance the protection of TRNMP. Appropriatemechanisms in order to tap this potential financing resource are, therefore, needed.
Site Characteristics: The Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park (TRNMP) and world heritage site is an environmental resource that is teeming with biodiversity. Sprawling a vast 33,200-hectare area in the middle of the Sulu Sea, the Tubbataha Reefs are the largest coral reef atoll and the only national marine park in the country. It is well-known among fishers in Southern Philippines, and is one of the most coveted and popular dive sites for scuba divers around the world. The reefs harbor a rich diversity of marine life equal to or greater than any such area in the world. In a survey in 1983, it was found that there were46 coral genera, more than 300 coral species, and at least 40 families and 379 species of fish. Large marine fauna such as manta rays, sea turtles, sharks, tuna, dolphins, and jackfish are a common sight in the reefs. The colorful beauty, high productivity and rich biodiversity of the reefs attracted both admiration as well as habitat destruction, particularly in the late 1980s. Surveys showed that in the said period, fishing, often using destructive methods, began to take place in the reefs during most of the year. In 1989, observations revealed that living coral cover on the outer flats declined by 24%.
Comments: This study was undertaken to provide information on how citizens value the Tubbataha Reefs through their willingness to pay for its conservation. The results of thisstudy can provide inputs in exploring alternative sources of financing the conservation of TRNMP. As mainly a grant- or donor-driven conservation program, the biodiversity conservation of TRNMP may not be sustained if there is no regular source of funds. On the other hand, Filipinos' awareness and willingness to pay for its conservation can serve as rationale to outsource local but sustainable financing mechanisms. The research questions, therefore, are: "Do Filipinos value TRNMP?" and "Are they willing to pay for its conservation?