Informing Management Strategies for a Reserve: Results from Valuation Surveys

Suggested Bibliographic Reference: Challenging New Frontiers in the Global Seafood Sector: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 11-15, 2016. Compiled by Stefani J. Evers and Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2016.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.A marine protected area (MPA) is a management tool used for biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries development, but it is less used for non-extractive uses of ecosystems such as eco-tourism. We estimate the willingness-to-pay for improved environmental qualities of the Nha Trang Bay MPA on one hand and employment effects on the other among a convenience sample of Vietnamese national tourists. Using a mixed logit model with correlations, we find that tourists are willing to pay for environmental quality improvements, but are ambiguous towards reducing the number of fishermen operating within the bounds of the MPA. This is important information for managers and policy makers in order to maintain tourism benefits and conserve marine biodiversity, but also with respect to how to secure income opportunities for the local fishermen