Community Perceptions and Financing Forest Conservation: Willingness to Pay in Mountainous Vietnam

Sustainable financing remains a major challenge for protected areas in developing countries, particularly in mountainous regions where local livelihoods are closely linked to forest ecosystems. This study examines community perceptions and willingness to pay for forest conservation in the Muong La Protected Area in northern Vietnam in order to inform community-based conservation financing mechanisms. The study population consists of households living in and around the protected area, where local livelihoods depend strongly on forest resources. Primary data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 315 households selected using a stratified random sampling approach across three communes surrounding the protected area. The survey applied a dichotomous contingent valuation framework to estimate households' willingness to pay for a proposed forest conservation program. The data were analyzed using logit regression to identify the determinants of willingness to pay. The results show that local communities attach significant value to forest ecosystems, including both livelihood-related benefits and intergenerational conservation values. The estimated mean willingness to pay is approximately 331,000 Vietnamese dong per household per year. Household income and dependence on forest resources significantly increase the likelihood of willingness to pay, while demographic characteristics are not statistically significant. The study contributes theoretically to the literature on environmental valuation and community-based conservation finance by demonstrating how livelihood dependence shapes conservation preferences in forest-dependent communities. Practically, the findings suggest that locally grounded financial contributions can complement public funding and support more sustainable financing mechanisms for PAs in mountainous regions.