Perceptions of coastal villagers on the non-market goods and services of mangroves in Cagayan province, Philippines

Background

Despite their critical ecological roles, people have historically undervalued mangroves, which has led to overexploitation and conversion for various human activities, including infrastructure, aquaculture, and agriculture. The Philippines, which holds a significant portion of global mangrove species, continues to experience losses in this biodiversity-rich resource due to both anthropogenic and natural causes. To address this loss, the Philippines has implemented numerous mangrove rehabilitation programs, ranging from community initiatives to large-scale government and international projects with escalating planting costs. To understand the economic importance of mangroves, researchers often categorize mangrove values into use and non-use values. While coastal communities are typically aware of the direct uses of mangroves, they are often less familiar with the indirect and non-use values.

Goals and Methods

The study aims to evaluate coastal villagers’ knowledge, awareness, and participation in mangrove rehabilitation projects across five coastal municipalities in Cagayan province, Philippines, as well as their perceptions of the indirect and non-use values of mangroves. The researchers use a structured questionnaire to gather information on respondents’ socio-economic profiles, livelihood structures, and their knowledge, attitudes, and participation in mangrove rehabilitation activities. To assess perceptions of non-market values, the researchers present respondents with a series of attitudinal statements about mangrove preservation and ask them to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement. Key informant interviews with village officials and technical authorities supplement and confirm the information gathered from the surveys.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Respondents generally exhibit high levels of awareness and knowledge of mangroves and are supportive of the mangrove rehabilitation projects in their communities. They recognize the value of protecting and preserving mangrove ecosystems, acknowledging the non-market goods and services offered. Notably, the respondents agree with proxy statements related to the intrinsic, bequest, and existence values of mangroves. However, the study finds that respondents express hesitation or disagreement with statements that include terms like "pay," "cost," or "money," indicating a sensitivity towards monetary contributions for conservation, likely due to their low socio-economic status. This suggests that while they value mangroves, their willingness to pay for their protection is limited by their financial constraints. For future work, the study recommends conducting analyses that take into consideration the observed sensitivity to monetary payments and including perceptions of residents not directly involved in mangrove reforestation projects or dependent on mangroves.