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Place of publication :
Publication year : 2007
Thematic : TEEB
Language : English
Note
Societies continually make choices among various options that affect their welfare. Tradeoffs are typically difficult to make especially in a developing country context where even the basic needs are sometimes hard to finance. It then becomes an empirical question whether people from a developing country perceive any benefit from what can be considered as a non-essential good like the preservation of certain endangered species and would therefore be willing to sacrifice certain things for it. Using contingent valuation methodology (CVM), this paper sets out to determine if such benefit for whale shark preservation exists for developing country citizens, or if they are too poor to pay for conservation.
The study was carried out in Sorsogon province where whale sharks are popularly known; the area is touted worldwide as having the largest congregation of the species during peak season. Various multivariate logit regression analyses were done to generate sensitivity analysis of the estimates prior to the welfare value calculation. Sensitivity to payment designs was also tested through hypothesis testing.
Survey results show that the people are aware and concerned about environmental issues, including the precarious condition of whale sharks in Sorsogon. They are not, however, able or willing to pay for the implementation of the Conservation Program because poverty, employment, and other economic concerns take precedence over environmental issues. Detailed observance of the entire CV exercise generated zero or close to zero welfare value.
It is interesting to note that after an elaborate preparation, implementation, and analysis of CV data, results show zero or close to zero welfare values. But clearly, the whole exercise had achieved what it set out to do. The message is clear that with meager available resources, people in a developing country like the Philippines are not willing to pay for the conservation of wildlife. Government, as it stands now, has limited budget to support basic services in supporting human life, hence, funding for species conservation is expectedly low. Financing of conservation programs, therefore, necessitates assistance from the international community. But be that as it may, there is also a lot at stake for the Philippines in ensuring the continuous existence of whale sharks and the country will do well to proactively explore alternative financing options for conservation.
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Keywords : incubation temperature
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
