Young people’s preferences for mangrove conversation in baybay city, leyte, philippines

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY VALLADORES, JEMIMAH CESTER YOUNG PEOPLE’S PREFERENCES FOR MANGROVE CONSERVATION IN BAYBAY CITY, LEYTE, PHILIPPINES BACHELOR THESIS Study Mode: Full-time Major: Environmental Science and Management Faculty: Advanced Education Program Office Batch: 2018-2021 Thai Nguyen, 08/06/2022 DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Degree Program Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management Student Name Jemimah Cester Valladores Student ID DTN1754290026 Thesis Title Young People’s Preferences for Mangrove Conversation in Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines Supervisor (s) Truong Thi Anh Tuyet, PhD Supervisor’s Signature Abstract: Mangrove ecosystems bring a variety of benefits to both the people and the environment They not only serve as protection against storm and wind surges but also are natural habitats to different marine organisms However, despite these benefits, mangrove forest areas are still exploited for economic reasons Anthropogenic activities, such as profitable pond farming systems contribute greatly to mangrove loss Another is because of natural causes, specifically that of Super typhoon Haiyan, as the most prominent reason for mangrove loss in Baybay City, Leyte Nevertheless, this is slowly changing as people are now becoming more aware of the benefits that mangrove ecosystems bring to the people, animals, and the environment as a whole In this study, the researcher found out the preferences of the young people of Baybay City, Leyte about mangroves and mangrove conservation programs A contingent valuation method through openended format was used in this study upon analyzing the respondent’s willingness to pay Out of the 205 respondents, 93 answered yes, but only 80 were valid and counted The parametric estimate of the mean WTP was PHP480 (US$9.19) Demographic variables such as gender, age, year level, major, and monthly income and allowance were found to be statistically insignificant to the WTP of the respondents that answered yes The results of this study can be used by the LGUs, NGOs, and other stakeholders to help them be more knowledgeable about the local’s responses to conservation and rehabilitation acts proposed, specifically the young people Keywords: Mangroves, Mangrove conservation programs, Contingent valuation method, Willingness to pay, Open-ended format, Baybay City Number of pages: 43 Date of Submission: 02/06/2022 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to acknowledge and give my warmest thanks to my supervisor, Dr Truong Thi Anh Tuyet Thank you for all your comments, suggestions, advices, and guidance in the writing process of my thesis I would also like to thank Dr Dennis Peque, dean of the College of Forestry and Environmental Science in Visayas State University for allowing and assisting me throughout my survey To all the students of Visayas State University who took part in answering my survey, thank you for your participation, with a special mention for Ms Virgilyn Balbuena You were all such a great help I would also like to extend my gratefulness to my family, Papa Ferdie, Mama Fe, and Ate Aya, and friends, Pamilyang Solid and BTK, as a whole for your unending support and motivation in me throughout my research Your continuous faith and understanding have helped me finish my thesis; despite all of the struggles I have faced SLMT as well to SB19 for inspiring me to go up and move forward, MAHALIMA! Last but not least, I would like to thank God for the strength He has given that sustained me with all the sleepless nights and breakdowns I have gone through I would never have made it this far without His faithfulness and goodness in my life In everything that I do, I it all to glorify Him Padayon! TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES I LIST OF TABLES II LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS III PART I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Rationale 1.2 Research Objectives 1.3 Research Questions and Hypotheses 1.4 Limitations 1.5 Definitions PART II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 A History on Local Mangrove Conservation 2.2 Community-based Management Systems 2.3 Local Awareness on Mangrove Conservation 10 PART III MATERIALS AND METHODS 12 3.1 The Contingent Valuation Method 12 3.2 The Approach 12 3.3 Estimation of Influential Factors 13 3.4 The Survey 14 PART IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 17 4.1 General Information of the Respondents 17 4.2 Awareness and Attitude of Young People on Mangrove Conservation 18 4.3 Willingness to Pay Analysis 22 PART V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 28 REFERENCES 30 APPENDIX 34 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The map of Southern Leyte and Landuse map of Baybay Page 15 City, Leyte Figure 2: Respondents’ interest in mangrove conservation Page 19 Figure 3: Reasons the respondents don’t want to be informed Page 20 Figure 4: The probability of the willingness to pay of respondents Page 22 Figure 5: Reasons the respondents chose not to participate Page 23 Figure 6: Reasons the respondents chose to participate Page 24 Figure 7: Histogram on the frequency of the WTP of the respondents Page 25 I LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Basic statistics for socioeconomic characteristics of Page 17 respondents Table 2: Prioritization of environmental issues Page 18 Table 3: Attitude on mangrove education Page 19 Table 4: Summary of the Likert Scale Responses Page 21 Table 5: Estimation results for Mangrove Conservation Programs (in Page 24 PHP) Table 6: Description of variables for “Yes” probability Page 26 Table 7: The regression analysis of the mean WTP to each Page 27 demographic variable II LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Explanation CVM Contingent Valuation Method WTP Willingness to Pay CBM Community-based Management CBFM Community-based Forest Management VSU Visayas State University LGU Local Government Unit NGO Non-government Organization III PART I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Rationale Tropical storms and hurricanes are not new scenarios for the Philippines The country is located within the typhoon belt and just beside the Pacific Ocean, where typhoons normally form Ever since then, Philippines has experienced overcoming different natural calamities that has made the country known to be resilient However, due to the rapid change in climate and the extreme pollution over the past years, resiliency may not be enough to bounce back and combat the damages brought by these natural disasters Acosta et al (2016) explained that the Philippines is experiencing typhoon-induced floods and landslide damages due to the frequent and intense tropical cyclones that are happening recently These events cause psychological distress to the citizens and are affecting their adaptation methods Considering this, the Philippines is not only looking for adapting measures to counter the effects, rather mitigation measures to, if not end, lessen the effects and damages of the natural calamities One study in the Philippines focuses on analyzing the community-based forest management (CBFM) sites and how they would help mitigate climate change They are focused in looking for the benefits of agroforestry farms (Lasco et al., 2010) In relation to this, another action that can help mitigate the effects of typhoons are mangroves According to a study by Barbier (2016), mangrove ecosystems serve as protection against the damages that typhoons cause They attenuate the disasters, such as property loss, injuries, deaths, that hurricanes and tropical storms bring to the community Mangroves not only protect the people and the land properties; they also help protect lessen the damages caused by wind from storm surges A study conducted by Das and Crépin (2013) stated that an additional evidence of mangrove benefits shows that they reduce wind damage in houses amounted to approximately US$177 per hectare at 1999 prices Despite of the benefits and protection that mangroves provide; it cannot be denied that they are continuously exploited for economic reasons Conforming to the article by Goldberg et al (2020), global mangrove losses can be traced from anthropogenic and natural activities Over the periods between 2000-2016, it was estimated that around 62% of the losses are from change in land use The conversion of mangrove forest areas to aquaculture and agriculture areas for economic purposes can be accounted to this Also, around 80% of this human-driven losses happened within Southeast Asian nations This is accurately true in the Philippines The construction of brackish water pond is seen as a reason for around 50% of the mangrove loss in the whole country Many people were enticed with the profitable pond farming systems This so happened due to the economic benefits that can be acquired from this, even though loss of mangrove systems is the consequence of this activity (Primavera, 1995) A significant increase in mangrove loss also occurred during the incidence of Super Typhoon Haiyan The provinces of eastern Samar and western Samar were severely affected of the damages, but the Super Typhoon’s intensity slowly decreased as it went across from eastern to western Visayas However, mangrove resiliency was seen after the unexpected phenomenon when severely, moderately, and minimally damaged mangroves decreased by 90%, 81%, and 57%, which is an evidence that they should be conserved (Long et al., 2016) Mangroves have proven to be quite essential for the community They offer a variety of benefits and protection to humans, animals, and the environment as a whole Nonetheless, they are still often neglected and abused by people for financial opportunities But recently, this perception is slowly changing, and a lot more people are starting to raise awareness about mangrove conservation As per Sandilyan and Kathiresan (2012), mangroves should be conserved globally for they serve as a habitat for a variety of marine organisms As a matter of fact, mangroves are seen to contain rich biological and genetic diversity This is one of the reasons why conserving mangroves should be prioritized It is difficult to bring back species and natural habitat lost Moreover, mangrove habitats are natural defenses against flood damages in the Philippines They reduce flooding to 23% of the people, which are below the poverty line Mangroves save possible economic losses, around 1.7 billion US$ damages were prevented presently (Menéndez et al., 2018) An effective way of conserving mangrove forest areas is by working together hand-in-hand in raising awareness and physically protecting them from any exploiters that plan on harming them A study by Walters (2004) stated that local community-based management may be a better way in conserving mangroves This action can be a successful economic innovation locally, especially if they are educated of mangroves’ benefits to their homes, livelihood, and community as a whole Taking that into account, this study aims to know young people’s preferences in conserving the mangrove forest areas in Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines, as no such research has been done before yet Knowing the awareness and knowledge of the youth when it comes to mangroves, their role and benefits, and conservation is the main focus of this study This will be essential for determining the REFERENCES Article in Collective Work FAO, 2000 Applications of the contingent valuation method in developing countries Rome, Italy: FAO Information Division Scarpa, R., 2012 Guidance for the Design of Quantitative Survey-Based Evaluation Europian Commission Book Gevaña, D T., Pulhin, J M & Tapia, M., 2019 Fostering Climate Change Mitigation Through a Community-Based Approach: Carbon Stock Potential of Community-Managed Mangroves in the Philippines In: Coastal Management San Diego: Academic Press, pp 271282 Journal Acosta, L A et al., 2016 Loss and damage from typhoon-induced floods and landslides in the Philippines: community perceptions on climate impacts and adaptation options International Journal of Global Warming Ahmed, S & Gotoh, K., 2007 The choice of elicitation methods in CVM and thier impact on willingness to pay in environmental assessment 長崎大学工学部研究報告 , 37(68), pp 47-52 30 Alimbon, J A & Manseguiao, M R S., 2021 Community knowledge and utilization of mangroves in Panabo Mangrove Park, Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Philippines INTL J BONOROW WETLANDS, 11(2), pp 51-57 Barbier, E B., 2016 The protective service of mangrove ecosystems: A review of valutaion methods Marine Pollution Bulletin, pp 676-681 Boyer, T., Hopkins, M & Moss, J., 2017 Willingness to Pay for Reclaimed Water: A Case Study for Oklahoma Competition for Water Resources, Volume I, pp 261-277 Creencia, G B A & Querijero, B V., 2018 Community-Based Management of the Calatagan Mangrove Forest Conservation Park in Batangas, Philippines: A Case Study on Environmental Sustainability Asia Pacific Journal of Academic Research in Social Sciences, pp 21-27 Das, S & Crépin, A.-S., 2013 Mangroves can provide protection against wind damage during storms Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science, pp 98-107 Farley, J., Batker, D., de la Torre, I & Hudspeth, T., 2010 Conserving Mangrove Ecosystems in the Philippines: Transcending Disciplinary and Institutional Borders Environmental Management, pp 39-51 Garcia, K B., Malabrigo Jr., P L & Gevaña, D T., 2013 Philippines’ Mangrove Ecosystem: Status, Threats and Conservation Mangrove Ecosystems of Asia, pp 81-94 Goldberg, L., Lagomasino, D., Thomas, N & Fatoyinbo, T., 2020 Global declines in humandriven mangrove loss Global Change Biology, pp 5844-5855 Lasco, R D., Evangelista, R S & Pulhin, F B., 2010 Potential of Community-Based Forest Management to Mitigate Climate Change in the Philippines Small-scale Forestry, pp 429443 31 Le, T H T., Lee, D K., Kim, Y S & Lee, Y., 2016 Public preferences for biodiversity conservation in Vietnam's Tam Dao National Park Forest Science and Technology, 12(3), pp 144-152 Long, J., Giri, C., Primavera, J & Trivedi, M., 2016 Damage and recovery assessment of the Philippines' mangroves following Super Typhoon Haiyan Marine Pollution Bulletin, pp 734743 Markandya, A & Ortiz, R., 2011 General Introduction to Valuation of Human Health Risks Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, Volume I, pp 871-878 Menéndez, P et al., 2018 Valuing the protection services of mangroves at national scale: The Philippines Ecosystem Services, pp 24-36 Primavera, H J., 1995 Mangrove and brackishwater pond culture in the Philippines AsiaPacific Symposium on Mangrove Ecosystems, pp 303-309 Primavera, J H., 2000 Development and conservation of Philippine mangroves: institutional issues Ecological Economics, pp 91-106 Pulhin, J M., Gevaña, D T & Pulhin, F B., 2017 Community-Based Mangrove Management in the Philippines: Experience and Challenges in the Context of Changing Climate Participatory Mangrove Management in a Changing Climate, pp 247-262 Quevedo, J M D., Uchiyama, Y & Kohsaka, R., 2019 Perceptions of local communities on mangrove forests, their services and management: implications for Eco-DRR and blue carbon management for Eastern Samar, Philippines Journal of Forest Research, 25(1), pp 1-11 32 Reyna, M et al., 2020 Mangrove Awareness of Haiyan-Stricken Residents: Inputs for the Development of a Communication Method Journal of International Academic Research for Multidisciplinary, pp 13-24 Sandilyan, S & Kathiresan, K., 2012 Mangrove conservation: a global perspective Biodiversity and Conservation, pp 3523-3542 Su, G I S., 2008 Environmental worldview and concern of college students in the Philippines International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, I(9), pp 39-47 Trung, H V., Nguyen, T V & Simioni, M., 2020 Willingness to pay for mangrove preservation in Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam: household knowledge and interest play a role? Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, II(9), pp 1-19 Walters, B B., 2004 Local Management of Mangrove Forests in the Philippines: Successful Conservation or Efficient Resource Exploitation ? Human Ecology, pp 177-195 Internet Resource StatTrek, 2020 Survey Sampling Methods [Online] Available at: https://stattrek.com/survey-research/sampling-methods 33 APPENDIX In this section, the contingent valuation method survey questionnaire is provided SURVEY ON YOUNG PEOPLE’S PREFERENCES REGARDING MANGROVE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS IN BAYBAY CITY, LEYTE, PHILIPPINES Introduction: Mangrove forest areas are vital in the ecosystem as they provide a variety of benefits and protection to the environment and the people However; due to the changing economy, mangroves were neglected and hunted in exchange for profitable pond farming systems The purpose of this survey is to know what the young people of Baybay City, Leyte perceive about mangrove forest areas and its conservation This survey will focus on the students of Visayas State University You are randomly chosen to be part of this study You will be asked some questions about your opinions on mangrove forest areas and mangrove conservation It will take you about 45 to answer this survey You can be assured that all information you will reveal will solely be used for this research and will never be disclosed It will be strictly confidential Of course, you have the right to refuse to participate in this survey There is no right or wrong answer to the questions Your honest and unbiased opinion is highly requested when answering this questionnaire You may consult your peers when answering this survey if you wish You are free to ask questions if there is anything unclear 34 SECTION 1: DEMOGRAPHIC D1 Gender: Male Female Others D2 Age: D3 What barangay you live in Baybay? D4 Year level: D5 Major: _ YES, NO specify D6 Are you a part of any organization in your university? YES NO D7 Are you a working student? (If YES, proceed to the next question If NO, proceed to D8.) D8 How much is your monthly income? Under ₱5,000 ₱5,000 - ₱5,500 ₱5,600 - ₱10,000 ₱10,100 - ₱10,500 ₱10,600 - ₱15,000 35 ₱15,100 and above D10 How much is your monthly allowance? Under ₱5,000 ₱5,000 - ₱5,500 ₱5,600 - ₱10,000 ₱10,100 - ₱10,500 ₱10,600 - ₱15,000 ₱15,100 and above D11 What are your other financial priorities? (Tick as many as you like) None Rent Utilities Life and health insurances School fees D12 Have you made any donations or contributions in similar programs as this one? YES, NO specify (If YES, please specify what program.) 36 SECTION 2: KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MANGROVES AND ATTITUDE ON CONSERVATION K1 Are you familiar with any of the pictures (Image source: https://vismin.ph/2021/mangroves-leyteafter-yolanda/) NO YES above? (Please tick the box) (Image source: https://www.conservation.org/act/sharethe-facts-about-mangroves) *If you answered YES, proceed to K2 If NO, proceed to K4 NO YES K2 Are you aware of its importance and benefits to the environment? K3 Where you mostly see or hear about these species? Social media Printed media: Newspaper and Advertisement Scientific articles and journals Others: 37 K4 What type of species you think are they? Shrub Small tree Orchid Fern Bush K5 Where you think they are mostly found? Tropical Zones Temperate Zones Polar Zones YES NO K6 Are you interested in mangrove education? *If you answered YES, proceed to K7 If NO, proceed to K8 K7 What you want to know more about mangroves? (Tick as many as you like) I want to know the benefits they provide to humans I want to be informed about plants in general I want to know what species live in mangroves I want to know their significance in the ecosystem I want to know how they grow 38 K8 What are the reasons why you don’t want to be informed about mangroves? (Tick as many as you like) I’m already well informed about them I will leave it to the experts I think they are not my concern I don’t think it’s necessary I don’t think I have to know more about them K9 In terms of prioritizing environmental issues, what you think should the government focus on solving the more? Rank the environmental issues below from 110 (1 to be the most prioritized and 10 the least) a Deforestation and illegal logging b Flooding c Global warming d Climate change e Loss of biodiversity f Air pollution g Water pollution h Soil and land pollution i Public health issues j Overpopulation 39 A1 Please read the statements below and choose your answer (Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly disagree) Statements Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree a It is important for everyone to know and learn about ecosystem conservation b The government should allot an ecosystem conservation budget c Ecosystem conservation education is enough to raise awareness d Heavier reinforcement should be imposed on ecosystem conservation laws and policies e Mangrove conservation should be a priority concern of the government f Conserving mangroves should be set aside and diverted to more important conservation issues g Conservation for mangroves is only a concern for the experts h The benefits of conservation of mangroves will be for all i There are sacrifices to be made in conserving mangroves j Mangroves are important even if I don’t get to see them 40 SECTION 3: THE CONSERVATION PLAN FOR MANGROVES Some information about mangroves (Image source: https://www.leytesamardailynews.com/dpwh-leyte-4thdeo-to-conduct-investigation-of-alleged-tree-cutting-incident/ ) Mangrove Forest Areas Mangrove is a type of shrub or small tree that grows along the coastline It serves as habitat for a variety of species and help protect biodiversity It also gives multiple benefits to humans It provides timber, charcoal, medicines, fishes, and shellfish It also acts as a barrier against tropical storms and cyclones Mangrove forests are found in the tropical and subtropical regions in the world In Baybay city, Leyte, mangrove forests cover about 261.51 hectares Though it holds great ecological, economic, and therapeutic significance, mangrove forests are still cleared for rice cultivation and profitable pond farming systems Mangrove Conservation and Rehabilitation Program Due to the damage left by super typhoon Yolanda, a conservation and rehabilitation program has been proposed in the form of a training organized by the Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI), Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD), and Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE) The training happened on March 10-14, 2014, which lasted for days There were 19 participants included from different municipalities in Eastern Samar 41 representing LGUs, POs, and non-government organizations They were assigned to protect, conserve, and rehabilitate mangrove forest areas within Eastern Samar and Leyte The program helped increase the mangrove forest areas, so it would be wise to organize another training for the new generation However, such programs require funds to support it The survey you are participating in only wants to know your opinion in this matter It wants to know your willingness to participate in the form of monetary contribution, if the government opens a Mangrove Conservation Fund C1 Are you willing to participate in the form of monetary contribution, if the NO YES government opens a Mangrove Conservation Fund? (If YES, proceed to the next question If NO, proceed to C4.) C2 How much are you willing to contribute for the Mangrove Conservation Fund? ₱ _ C3 What made you willing to pay? Please tick the most appropriate answers (limit your answers to 3) Mangroves are important species that need to be conserved Mangroves are our responsibility To contribute for the greater good To at least pay for my fair share in conserving the mangroves Others (pls specify) _ C4 What are the reasons why you chose not to participate in the program? Please tick the most appropriate answers (limit your answers to 3) I cannot afford the amount to contribute 42 I not think conservation of mangroves is worth doing I not believe that the money I pay will actually be used for mangrove conservation I not like adding another thing to my budget Only people who will directly benefit from mangrove conservation should pay for this I think that other species are more important than mangroves Majority of the poor will be affected Only those from higher income groups should pay for this I prefer giving money to humanitarian cause instead Others (pls specify) _ Thank you for your participation! Please add any additional comments here: 43