GOALS
The research aims to improve the capacity of biodiversity conservation of Phong Nha -
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- To determine the visitor's willingness to pay (WTP) to biodiversity conservation in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park
- To identify the factors influencing WTP to biodiversity conservation of visitors in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park
METHODOLOGY
Study sites – Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is situated in the northern region of the Truong Son Range, specifically between latitudes 17° 21' to 17° 39' North and longitudes 105° 57' to 106° 24' East This national park encompasses the communes of Tan Trach, Thuong Trach, Phuc Trach, Xuan Trach, and Son Trach within Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province It is located approximately 50 km northwest of Dong Hoi city and about 500 km south of Hanoi.
Source: Quang Binh’s tourism Center
In 2003, UNESCO designated Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park as a World Natural Heritage site due to its exceptional geological and geomorphological features, meeting criterion viii for recognition.
In 2015, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park was recognized on the World Heritage List for its exceptional ecological significance, meeting two key criteria: criterion IX, which highlights its outstanding representation of ecological evolution and development of terrestrial ecosystems, and criterion X, which emphasizes its critical natural habitats for biodiversity conservation.
Source: Picture is taken by the author
This national park, one of the world's largest limestone mountains, spans over 200,000 hectares, featuring a core zone of 85,754 hectares and a buffer zone of 195,400 hectares Its unique karst formations, shaped over millions of years, include more than 300 caves and extensive underground river systems, making it a significant geological and ecological site.
Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park features a tropical monsoon climate that is hot and humid, with average annual temperatures ranging from 23 to 25 °C Summer temperatures can soar to 41 °C, while winter temperatures can drop to as low as 6 °C The park's unique geology and geomorphology contribute to its stunning natural landscapes.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang is recognized as a vast geological museum of global significance, showcasing a complex geological structure that includes a diverse array of rock types such as sandstone, quartz, agate, marl, granodiorite, diorite, aplite, and pegmatite.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang boasts a geological history spanning 400 million years, shaped by significant tectonic events and movements that formed its mountain ranges and subsurface sediment basins These geological transformations have led to a remarkable diversity in geology, topography, and geomorphology, including its renowned cave systems.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang has a population of more than 300 large and small caves, called
“Kingdom of Cave”, where have many mystical and fascinating potential, attracting many science, explorers and visitors
These caves can be divided into three main systems: Phong Nha cave system, Vom Cave system and Ruc Mon cave system
Phong Nha Cave, also known as the Wet Cave, is a prominent feature of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park cave system, extending 7,729 meters in total length It comprises 14 caves and boasts an impressive underground river measuring 13,969 meters The cave's dimensions reach approximately 10 meters in height and 25 meters in width.
Paradise Cave, recognized by the Royal Caves Association as the longest dry cave in Asia, is a remarkable natural wonder Recently, British explorers uncovered Son Doong Cave, which is considered the largest cave in the world, measuring over 5 kilometers in length, 200 meters in height, and 150 meters in width This immense cave surpasses Deer Cave in Gunung Mulu National Park, Malaysia, highlighting the extraordinary scale of these subterranean marvels.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is renowned for its stunning cave system and features the longest underground river, complemented by a network of rivers in the region The three primary rivers—Trooc River, Chay River, and Son River—flow with vibrant green waters through the rugged mountainous landscape, enhancing the area's natural beauty.
Besides, Phong Nha-Ke Bang also has many beautiful streams and waterfalls such as Wind falls, Loan falls , Mooc tream, Trai An stream
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is home to numerous peaks exceeding 1,000 meters, drawing the attention of climbers and explorers Notable summits include Co Rilata at 1,128 meters and Co Preu at 1,213 meters In addition to these towering heights, the region features valleys rich in eco-tourism potential and remarkable biodiversity.
In Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, there is also a primitive tropical forest with less impact on the forest cover of 96.2% and high biodiversity There are 2651 species of Tracheophyta
Phong Nha – Ke Bang is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including 113 species of large mammals, with notable inhabitants like the tiger and the world's largest gaur The region boasts 302 bird species, featuring 35 listed in the Vietnam Red Book and 19 in the World Red Book Additionally, there are 81 amphibian species, with 18 in the Vietnam Red Book and 6 in the World Red Book, alongside 259 butterfly species and 72 fish species, including 4 endemic to Vietnam The area also supports 10 primate orders, highlighting its rich biodiversity.
3.1.3 Activities in Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has been exploited to develop tourism with many types:
- Ecotourism, exploring fauna and flora
- Mountain climbing: There are dozens of peaks with elevations of over 1000 m, rocky slopes suitable for adventurous mountain climbing
There are many tourist routes and tourist sites are managed by Phong Nha - Ke Bang Tourism Center:
- Explore the cave: visit Phong Nha cave, Tien Son cave
- Tourist Route: visit Chay River - Dark Cave
- Tourism Route: Discover the Nature of the Bay - Hang En
- Tourist Route: discover the nature of living valley - Thuy Cung Cave
3.1.4 Number of visitors and revenue of the NP
Table 3.1 indicates a consistent increase in the number of visitors to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Notably, data from recent years, particularly from 2015 onward, highlights this upward trend in visitor numbers.
2018, the number of tourists of the next year is higher than the previous year Accordingly, revenue also increases annually from 2015 to 2018
Table 3.1: Total number of visitors and revenue from tourism and services of Phong Nha - Ke Bang from 2015 to 2018
2018* : The first 8 months of 2018 2017*: The first 8 months of 2017
Methods of data collection
3.2.1 Pre-existing data a Sampling method
Sampling in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park involves examining a subset of the population rather than the entire group, which helps to save time, effort, and costs.
In this study, the author employed convenience sampling, a method that involves selecting subjects based on their accessibility and ease of reach for the investigator.
This study employs logistic modeling as the primary data analysis method, necessitating a substantial sample size for accurate estimations According to Green (2003) and Tabanick & Fidell (2007), the required sample size for cross-sectional data is calculated as n ≥ 50 + 6k, where k represents the number of independent variables With six independent variables utilized in this research, the minimum sample size is determined to be n ≥ 50 + 6×6 = 86 Ultimately, the author conducted interviews with 300 visitors at the national park to gather the necessary data.
A survey questionnaire was designed to collect basic information from respondents and assess their willingness to pay (WTP) for the conservation of non-marketed goods and services in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park To target a specific population, face-to-face surveys were conducted, allowing for personal interviews that aimed to delve deeper into participants' responses and gather more comprehensive insights.
A survey was conducted through personal interviews with 300 tourists at Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, comprising 207 domestic visitors (69%) and 93 international visitors (31%) The author utilized two versions of the questionnaire: a Vietnamese version for domestic tourists and an English version for international tourists Interviews were exclusively conducted with adult respondents who had a stable income, as they were deemed more realistic in assessing their willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation efforts at Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park within their budget constraints.
The questionnaire has total of 21 questions, devided into three basic parts as follows:
- Introduction: purpose and requirements of the study, researcher contact This section has some questions exploring the understanding of the interviewee about the topic
- Demographic information (information on individual respondents): age, gender, nationality, education level, occupation, income
- Main content: Collecting visitor’s trip information and their willingness to pay for conservation in Phong Nha – Ke Bang NP and other questions related
The data derived from this questionnaires were analyzed by using SPSS packages Forms of data analysis that will be performed are descriptive analysis, coefficient correlation test and logistic regression
This study provides a comprehensive overview of the research by processing, presenting, and summarizing collected data on various demographics, including age, education level, gender, income, trip information, perceptions, and willingness to pay for the conservation of Phong Nha National Park Descriptive statistics were employed to highlight the fundamental characteristics of the data, offering straightforward summaries about the sample.
This method is used to generalize the characteristics of the respondents, compare the WTP between different groups of visitors and find out the trend of visitors's WTP
The author employs the contingent valuation method (CVM) in this study, a widely utilized approach globally for estimating the value of non-marketed goods and services through questionnaire surveys and interviews (Dall Aste Brandolini and Lamberti).
The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) is a standardized approach for assessing willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental conservation (Mitchell and Carson, 1989) This method involves asking individuals how much they would be willing to pay to enhance or avoid negative aspects of non-marketed goods and services By directly inquiring about their WTP, CVM provides a straightforward way to estimate the value people place on environmental improvements.
Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) differs from traditional approaches by utilizing a hypothetical market where participants act as market players This method assesses the value of public goods, encompassing both their use and non-use value Willingness to Pay (WTP) is influenced by factors such as the goods' descriptions, environmental quality, and the payment timing and method, which depend on the interviewer's skills Additionally, respondents' socioeconomic characteristics, including income and education level, play a significant role in determining their perceived value In a hypothetical market, scenarios are created to analyze how changes in environmental quality can affect WTP.
Various methods exist for collecting the Willingness to Pay (WTP) from respondents, including open-ended questions, close-ended questions, iterative bidding or bidding games, payment cards, dichotomous or discrete choice formats, and double-bounded dichotomous choice techniques (Morrison et al.).
1996) This study used the formats of payment card to elicit respondents's WTP
In the questionnaire, after the general information and environmental issues of PN-
The government is considering raising entrance fees to enhance conservation efforts in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park This initiative aims to generate additional funds for the protection and preservation of the park's unique biodiversity and natural resources By increasing ticket prices, the government hopes to promote sustainable tourism while ensuring the long-term viability of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Investments in infrastructure and human resources are essential for the conservation projects of the national park What is the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the preservation of this national park, considering the various travel options and price levels available in Phong Nha?
- Ke Bang National Park, the author makes the assumption of increasing prices on all types of tickets to achieve the most comprehensive and objective for the research)
The purpose of using this method is to to evaluate the conservation value of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park with visitors, which through creating a hypothesis market
Logistic regression is a statistical method used to predict a binary dependent variable based on independent variables, which can be either quantitative or qualitative In this study, binary logistic regression was applied to analyze the factors affecting visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation efforts in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, aiming to estimate the influence of these factors The model is generally represented in a specific mathematical form.
Regression coefficient of variable ( i=1-n) Independent variables n Total independent variables are included in the model
P (Y = 1) = : The probability of occurrence of the event
P (Y = 0) = : The probability without occurrence of event
The logistic distribution function is a probability function that maps values from -∞ to +∞ to a range between 0 and 1 Due to its nonlinear nature and the binary outcome of Y, which can only be 0 or 1, ordinary least squares (OLS) cannot be used for parameter estimation Instead, Maximum Likelihood estimation is employed for this purpose.
From the function (1), we can estimate the probability of the willingness to pay by the value of as follows:
E(Y/ ): The probability that Y=1 occurs when the independent variable has a particular value
This research employs a model that has been successfully utilized in numerous similar studies worldwide, yielding consistent outcomes A notable example is the 2014 study by Sara Kaffashi, Mohd Rusli Yacod, and Mayanrd S Clark, which explored visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) for the management of the National Elephant Conservation in Central Malaysia The final model incorporates variables such as respondents' income, gender, age, education, job, previous visits, and attitudinal characteristics derived from factor analysis The findings indicate that WTP is positively correlated with income, education, age, and certain attitudinal factors, while showing a negative correlation with bidding price and the distinction between domestic and international visitors.
Descriptive analysis
In a survey conducted between July and August 2018 at Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, a total of 300 respondents were interviewed, comprising 31% (93) international tourists and 69% (207) domestic tourists The preliminary findings and statistics from these respondents are outlined below.
Table 4.1 presents the profiles of the respondents, revealing that 58% (174) of the visitors were male The age group of 21 to 35 years constituted the majority, making up 57.7% (173) of the total visitors In terms of income, the lowest reported monthly income was 1.5 million VND, while the highest reached 25 million VND Notably, 50.3% of the visitors had a monthly income ranging from 5 million to 10 million VND.
The average income of Vietnamese people influences the demographics of visitors, with government servants and private employees making up 39% and 31% of total visitors, respectively The highest education level among participants is a Master's Degree, representing only 9.3%, while the majority, at 47.3%, hold a Bachelor's Degree.
Advanture games close to nature 69 23.0
A survey of 300 respondents revealed that 74.3% of visitors to the national park were first-time attendees The average travel cost per visitor, encompassing expenses for travel, food, and activities, amounted to 722,000 VND Most visitors dedicated only one day to their visit, with no one staying longer than three days The primary motivation for visiting the national park was to explore its caves.
Maintain and protect the biodiversity;
Conserve cultural and historical values
Place to visit and explore 80 26.7
Place to exploit forest products, hunt animals 0 0.0
2 The visit of people in the national park will affect the natural resources
5 Reason of visitors are willingness to pay 251
6 Reason of visitors are not willingness to pay
I do not believe paying will solve the problem
I believe the Government should provide all the cost
I feel the problem is not serious 5 10.2
I believe the conservation still take place 4 8.2
A significant majority of visitors to national parks, 88.3%, recognize that their presence impacts natural resources Additionally, 55.7% express concern for conservation issues, highlighting a positive interest in environmental protection This strong awareness and concern among visitors signal a promising opportunity for conservation projects within national parks.
A study found that 83.7% of visitors to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park are willing to contribute to conservation efforts, while 16.3% are not The majority of those willing to pay believe their contributions will benefit society and future generations However, the study identified two primary reasons for the reluctance among some visitors to support conservation financially.
29 visitors chose the ideal “ Not believe paying will solve the problem”, 11 visitors believe that the Government should provide all the cost.
WTP analysis
4.2.1 Analysing WTP of different groups
In general, all visitors show their WTP for conservation fee in different level of price The average WTP which respondents are willingness to pay for conservation in Phong Nha –
Ke Bang National Park charges an entrance fee of 9,433 VND per ticket, reflecting strong visitor support for biodiversity conservation and environmental protection efforts in the Phong Nha - Ke Bang region.
Table 4.5 Comparision of respondents’s WTP in different groups
Older individuals tend to express greater concern regarding occupations, which correlates with varying levels of willingness to pay (WTP) Specifically, those employed in government-related positions demonstrate a higher WTP compared to other job sectors Additionally, international visitors exhibit a greater willingness to pay than their domestic counterparts Furthermore, respondents with higher education levels show an increased willingness to pay, indicating that as education levels rise, so does the willingness to invest.
The study reveals a correlation between respondents' income levels and their willingness to pay for conservation efforts, indicating that individuals with higher incomes are generally more inclined to contribute financially to conservation initiatives.
Individuals earning over 20 million VND monthly demonstrate a strong willingness to invest in conservation efforts, as evidenced by their readiness to pay up to 20,000 VND per ticket This trend highlights that visitors' willingness to pay varies with income levels; higher earners have more disposable income available for expenditures beyond their basic needs.
4.2.2 Analysis on factors affecting WTP
B S.E Wald df Sig Exp(B) 95% C.I.for
Note: ** significant at 99% confidence , * significant at 95% confidence
In this study, gender, occupation, and nationality were found to have p-values greater than 0.05, indicating that they are not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level Conversely, the independent variables of income, education, and age exhibited p-values less than 0.05, confirming their significance in the model Therefore, age, education, and income significantly influence respondents' willingness to pay (WTP), as supported by the regression coefficient results presented in Table 4.6.
After performing the logistic regression analysis without the independent variables which are not statistically significant, the results is presented in table 4.7
Table 4.7 Logistic regression with statistic significant independent variables
B S.E Wald df Sig Exp(B) 95% C.I.for
The Nagelkerke R Square coefficient of 0.688 indicates that 68.8% of the variance in the dependent variable is accounted for by the independent variables in the model, with the remaining variance attributed to other factors In this study, income and education emerge as the two most significant influences on the likelihood of individuals' willingness to pay for conservation efforts.
The willingness of respondents to pay for conservation is influenced by changes in independent factors, as indicated by the Exp(B) values in Table 4.7 Notably, the income variable plays a significant role in this relationship.
Income plays a crucial role in determining respondents' willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation efforts As monthly income increases, so does the likelihood that visitors will contribute financially to conservation initiatives Specifically, for every increase of 1 million VND in income, the probability of willingness to pay rises by 1.78% This trend aligns with the reality that higher income levels enhance individuals' ability to allocate funds for conservation, while those with lower incomes prioritize personal and family expenses, limiting their financial contributions.
Education plays a crucial role in determining respondents' willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation efforts, with each additional year of schooling increasing the likelihood of WTP by 1.732% This trend can be attributed to the fact that individuals with higher education levels are generally more inclined to address social issues, including environmental protection Those with more years of schooling tend to possess greater knowledge about resource conservation and the implications of biodiversity loss, leading to a stronger commitment to environmental initiatives compared to their less educated counterparts.
The age of respondents has a modest influence on their willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation efforts Specifically, for each additional year in age, the likelihood of individuals being willing to contribute to conservation increases by 1.236% This trend suggests that older individuals are generally more inclined to support social initiatives compared to their younger counterparts.
The research indicates that the occupation, gender, and nationality of respondents do not significantly influence their willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation efforts This suggests that these demographic factors are not related to visitors' perceptions of conservation Specifically, the similarity in attitudes towards conservation between males and females may explain why gender does not impact their payment decisions.
The increasing number of visitors to Phong Nha – Ke Bang is driving economic growth in the region; however, this surge also leads to environmental degradation Illegal activities persist within the national park, and the rise of unsustainable ecotourism is contributing to heightened pollution Fortunately, awareness of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation is growing, with many recognizing that safeguarding natural resources is vital for their own well-being Unfortunately, some individuals continue to harm the environment, lacking accountability for their actions and failing to address the damage they inflict.
Utilizing Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to gauge the willingness to pay (WTP) for biodiversity conservation in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is essential Respondents indicated an average WTP of 9,344 VND per ticket, reflecting a moderate commitment to conservation efforts among visitors Notably, 83.7% of respondents expressed a willingness to contribute financially, highlighting a positive trend in public support for biodiversity conservation in this national park, which is significant for a developing country like Vietnam.
Visitors are willing to pay for national parks not only for their personal enjoyment but also for the benefit of society and future generations Many first-time visitors frequent these parks, while repeat visitors are limited To enhance visitor retention, national parks must create more engaging activities that encourage guests to return.
This research identifies three key factors influencing respondents' willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation: education level, income, and age Notably, income and education level emerge as the most significant determinants, with higher levels correlating to an increased likelihood of visitors being willing to pay for conservation efforts It is suggested that individuals with greater knowledge tend to have a more positive perception and decision-making regarding conservation Additionally, age plays a minor role, as older respondents are generally more willing to contribute financially than their younger counterparts.