Assessment of ecological management project in a wetland at San Esteban National Park, Caribbean Coast, Venezuela

Abstract

Yánes, G.G., Caula, S.A. 2020. The citizen assessment of an environmental management project in a Caribbean Coastal wetland at San Esteban National Park, Venezuela. Ecosistemas 29(3):2010. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.2010

We surveyed local public opinion about a conservation management project for the La Bocaina wetland (Carabobo, Venezuela), after to give awareness of its ecological importance. La Bocaina hosts 33% Venezuela waterbirds and it is habitat and breeding site of Rallus wetmorei (Zimmer and Phelps 1944), endemic, threatened, and with restricted distribution specie. With the help of Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) we measured the population’s willingness to pay (WTP) for this wetland conservation and we studied which attitudes and socioeconomic characteristics motivate people’s responses. The results show that 94% of people agreed implementation of an educational program about waterbirds and 80% agreed on the conservation project of this wetland. The 35% of people are willing to contribute a monthly average amount of US$ 4²⁰ for a period of six months, despite the fact that the average household income was very low, US$ 318⁰⁰ per month. The willingness and the amount to pay were positively correlated with the “monthly income” and negatively with the “number of people in the household” and the “distance from home to La Bocaina”. This work constitutes an unprecedented contribution within the San Esteban National Park, so the information generated should be taken into account for management plans.