Gender-Related Values and Preferences of Resource Users in a Municipal Marine Protected Area in the Philippines

Abstract

Marine Protected Areas (MPA) were established in the Philippines to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems. In the Municipality of Sagñay, Philippines, the Atulayan Bay Fish Sanctuary and Marine Reserve (Atulayan MPA) was established three decades ago for such purpose. However, the expected socio-ecological impacts remained elusive based on biophysical and socioeconomic indicators. Community-Based Coastal Resource Management (CBCRM) was one approach used by the municipality to engage resource users and communities in MPA management. This study assessed the preferences of resource users toward the ecosystem services of the Atulayan MPA and the underlying value orientation that influenced these preferences. Specifically, it described the ecosystem services, examined the values of resource users, and analyzed the stated preferences of resource users toward the ecosystem services based on their value orientation from a gender-related perspective. Survey was conducted in the village of Atulayan with 50 respondents and in Nato with 250. Key informant interview was conducted with the fisheries technologist of the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO). Findings revealed that both resource users and residents in the two villages espoused the values of conservation and self-transcendence, while most of them preferred the ecosystem services of fisheries, habitat, coastal protection, and research and education. This study recommends that the MAO strengthen engagement with resource users and communities in MPA management by using approaches that are aligned with their value orientation and stated preferences. This would increase the likelihood that MPA-related interventions may be supported and actively engaged in by the resource users.