Abstract:
In the present work the Contingent Valuation Method was applied to estimate the economic value of
the Bons Sinais Estuary for local communities as a tool to help decision making on sustainable
management, given the degradation scenarios of mangrove forests and fisheries resources that occur. For this purpose, the family income per activity of the resident communities was estimated, as
well as the household willingness to pay per year for the conservation of ecosystems and using linear and logistic regression models the probable socio-economic and demographic factors controlling
the decisions of the households regarding their willingness to pay were determined. The average
annual household income from fishing was estimated at USD 672 and annual average household
income from trade, agriculture, mangrove exploration and other activities were estimated at USD
558, USD 304, USD 124 e USD 155, respectively. About 89% of the households interviewed stated
that they were willing to pay (contribute) to the proposed project. The annual average willingness to
pay per household by cash was USD 11.3 and by labor force was estimated at USD 153.7. The socio-economic and demographic factors that significantly (𝑝 < 0.05) influenced households'
declared willingness to pay were the level of urbanization in the area of residence, the origin of the
head of household and the size of the household, which in turn, suggests that when thinking about
mechanisms of participative management of the ecosystems of the Bons Sinais Estuary these factors
must be considered in the definition of social groups more favorable to the plans of conservation.
The study also concluded that, while the original definition of the Contingent Valuation Method
does not consider the willingness to pay by labor force, it may be a more realistic alternative to express the economic value of ecosystems for communities whose income depends on the direct
exploitation of the resources being valued.
