Households' willingness-to-pay for mangrove environmental services: Evidence from Phu Long, Northeast Vietnam

The conservation and sustainable development of mangrove forests play a critical role in stabilizing livelihoods, creating employment opportunities for neighboring communities, and preserving valuable ecosystems. This study assesses the willingness-to-pay residents for the environmental services of mangrove forests. The Theory of Planned Behavior, along with demographic factors, is utilized to investigate the willingness-to-pay for mangrove forest services among residents in Phu Long commune, Hai Phong City, a coastal area in northern Vietnam. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 235 households from four villages in Phu Long commune, employing a contingent valuation scenario and the payment card technique. The interval regression model is applied to analyze the influencing factors and the level of willingness-to-pay for five priority mangrove forest environmental services, which include: (i) greenhouse gas absorption and storage (climate change mitigation), (ii) support for biodiversity conservation, (iii) prevention of extreme weather events, (iv) scenic beauty services, and (v) habitat services for species. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) indices are used to select the most appropriate model. The estimated results from the interval regression model indicate that each household, on average, is willing to pay 327,792 Vietnamese dong (VND) per year for the five priority services. The analysis of factors reveals that attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and knowledge about mangrove forests have the most positive and significant impact on residents' willingness-topay. Based on these findings, several policy implications are proposed to enhance residents' willingness-to-pay for mangrove forest environmental services and promote the conservation and sustainable development of mangrove forests.