Publisher : Elsevier Ltd.
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2018
Thematic : Coral Reef
Language : English
Note
Ecosystem Services (ES) – the direct (e.g., food and natural medicines) and indirect (e.g., cultural diversity and
aesthetic values) benefits people obtain from various ecosystems – need to be assessed to aid decision makers and
concerned public in creating policies that ensure continuous flow of ES to their beneficiaries (e.g., fisheries, food,
income, livelihood, and traditional way of life to fishers and consumers). However, to date, ES assessments in
Philippine reefs are mostly concentrated only on fisheries and tourism or on few areas in the Philippines (e.g.,
Pangasinan and Bohol Marine Triangle). This study fills research gaps by assessing coral reefs across 15 regions
in the Philippines by estimating the following: (1) potential reef fisheries and Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) biodiversity
values using underwater surveys and literature data, (2) reef fisheries value using Bureau of Fisheries
and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and literature data, (3) tourism value using Department of Tourism (DOT) and
literature data, and (4) Total Economic Value (TEV). The TEV of Philippine reefs' ES amounted to 4 billion US
$/yr or 140,000 US$/km2
/yr. Furthermore, in each region of the Philippines, annual TEV ranged from 100 to
800 million US$, with potential reef fisheries value contributing the most in the TEV, followed by reef fisheries,
tourism, and WTP biodiversity values. In addition, the Visayas regions have the highest values of benefits from
coral reefs. Although the Philippines is deriving millions to billions of dollars of economic benefits from coral
reefs, the observed degradation and temporal decline in coastal ecosystems could lead to a decline in the potential
reef fisheries value, subsequently the TEV. The Philippines need to improve accounting and managing the
derived benefits from coral reefs to ensure the sustainability and continuous flow of these benefits for present
and future Filipino beneficiaries
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Keywords : Tropiometra carinata
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
