Valuing Local Residents’ Willingness to Pay for the Conservation of Cat Ba Marrine National Park, Vietnam

This article uses the Contingent Valuation Method to estimate the willingness of local residents to pay for the ecosystem conservation program in Cat Ba Marrine National Park, Vietnam. The primary data in the article were collected through direct interviews with 585 households living in the Park's buffer zone. The analysis results show that about 74% of the respondents are willing to pay for the conservation of the Park and average payment level is 97,000 VND/household/month (4 USD) which is close to 0.63% of the average household income. Research also indicates that if the respondents have better ecological value perception, they are more likely to contribute to the conservation program, or if the respondents know that people around them participate in the project, they will be more inclined to participate and contribute. As the payment levels increase, probability of willingness to pay decreases. The study presents a community case study on payment for conservation in marine protected areas in a developing country, Vietnam. It also provides some implications for better management of Cat Ba Marrine National Park including improving social network, better access to management information, more communication and technical support for community to participate in conservation activities.