Mangrove livelihoods in Palawan, Philippines: individual and joint household preferences with exemption interviews

Mangroves, especially in coastal areas, provide collective benefits to households, not just individuals. In this study, we undertake a comparison of individuals’ and couples’ intra-household decision-making on preferences for mangrove preservation expenditure and benefits using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) in Palawan province in the Philippines. We find that men’s and women’s individual preferences differ when responding separately to the survey, and that their joint preferences align more with the men’s preferences. We also conducted in-depth interviews with a subset of the population considered to be marginalised and exempt from contributing to mangrove preservation payments under the DCE. The findings from the exemption interviews suggest strong support for community co-management of mangrove marine protected areas (MPAs), provided that income-generating alternative livelihood projects are created. This, in turn, is combined with the couples’ preferences in the DCE. The resulting preferences for mangrove benefits and their valuation can be used to inform the design and financing of MPAs that include co-managed mangrove protection and restoration projects with locals, as well as policies for the use of mangrove resources on the island.