Abstract
Conserving mangroves and coral reefs has become an increasingly important topic of public debate in developing countries like Thailand. This is particularly important to the mangroves and coral reefs in areas such as Phang Nga Bay, a bay along the coast of the provinces of Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi, Thailand. This study estimated the economic value of the changes to the quality of the mangroves and coral reefs ecosystems in Phang Nga Bay by using a choice experiment to value the economic impacts of the changes to the quality of coastal ecosystems in Phang Nga Bay. The welfare estimate indicates a willingness to pay (WTP) of THB 1133 (USD 28) per year for improved diversity of flora and fauna. Local livelihood (e.g., income from fishery) and ecological function (e.g., flood protection benefits) are tied as the second most important attributes of Phang Nga Bay. The rare and endangered species attribute is held as the least important attribute of Phang Nga Bay. The aggregate benefits were computed by multiplying the number of people in the beneficiary groups with the welfare estimate of improving Phang Nga Bay ecosystem—THB 2263 (USD 57) per person—yielding THB 5784 million (USD 144.6 million) per year.
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Notes
- 1.
The word “Ao” in Thai means bay.
- 2.
The number of people in beneficiary groups was taken from the National Statistical Office, 1999. The groups included 348,369 adjacent dwellers, 133,767 tourism operators, and 2,037,567 tourists.
- 3.
There is certain logic to this. Foreigners do not pay income tax or business tax to the local government. They take the extra benefit from the use of the resource home with them when they leave. As such, failing to charge higher user fees on foreign visitors implies that the country is subsidizing an increase in the social welfare of the visitors from richer countries.
- 4.
Entry fees for marine parks in Phang Nga Bay have traditionally been very low. At present, a basic entrance fee of THB 20 (USD 0.50) is charged per person.
- 5.
Earlier studies on Phi Phi Island (Seenprachawong 2001) indicate an annual consumer surplus , as estimated by the travel cost method , on the order of 10 to 1 (USD 2010 for each foreign visitor and USD 184 for each Thai visitor).
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Questionnaire on Mangroves and Coral Reefs in Phang Nga Bay
Appendix 2: Cards
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Seenprachawong, U. (2016). An Economic Valuation of Coastal Ecosystems in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. In: Olewiler, N., Francisco, H., Ferrer, A. (eds) Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Valuation, Institutions, and Policy in Southeast Asia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0141-3_5
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