Economic Assessment of Mangrove Forest Uses

Mangrove forests are among the most sensitive and also the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. At the same time, nearly all of them are located in regions where food security is fragile and smallholder families are desperate to find additional sources of income. As a result, the local population views them as a resource for enhancing their livelihoods; and as there are significant differences between the private profitability of converting mangroves into farm land and the social cost-benefit-balance of such actions, conflicts between the protection of mangrove forests on the one hand and their use for agricultural production on the other hand are prevalent. This study was conducted to estimate the economic value of the Wunbaike Mangrove and to evaluate the benefits of the alternative mangrove uses from the private and social point of view to assist in the improvement of mangrove management strategies and policies. The study focused on the Wunbaike Mangrove users in the Yanbye Township. The economic value of mangroves was estimated in terms of local direct use of mangrove forest products and users' willingness to pay for the conservation of mangroves for its non-use value. Financial and economic cost-benefit analyses were conducted to evaluate the rice and shrimp farms in the mangroves.