MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
VIETNAM NATIONAL FORESTRY UNIVERSITY

STUDENT GRADUATION THESIS

ESTIMATE THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF XUAN THUY NATIONAL PARK,
NAM DINH PROVINCE

Major: Natural Resources Management
Faculty: Economic business management

Student: Nguyen Hoang Duy

Student ID: 1453091946

Class: K59A - Natural Resources Management

Course: 2014 - 2018

Supervisor: Vu Thi Minh Ngoc

Hanoi, 2018


LIST OF ACRONIM
NP

: National Park

CVM : Contingent Valuation Method
TEV

: Total Economic Value

DUV : Direct use value
IUV

: Indirect use value

OP

: Option value

BV

: Bequest value

EV

: Existence value

WTP : Willingness to pay
WTA : Willingness to accept


TABLE CONTENTS
I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1
II. Goals and objectives ......................................................................................................... 3
III. Methodology .................................................................................................................... 3
3.1. Study site......................................................................................................................... 3
3.2. Data ................................................................................................................................. 4

3.3. Analysis methods ............................................................................................................ 4
3.3.1. Descriptive statistic ...................................................................................................... 5
3.3.2. CVM (Contingent valuation method) .......................................................................... 5
3.3.3. Using TEV ................................................................................................................... 5
IV. Results and discussion ..................................................................................................... 9
4.1. Socio-economic characteristics....................................................................................... 9
4.2. Natural resources .......................................................................................................... 11
4.2.1. Plants .......................................................................................................................... 11
4.2.2. Animals and aquatic organisms ................................................................................. 11
4.3. Evaluation of total economic value of Xuan Thuy NP ................................................. 13
4.3.1. Use Value ................................................................................................................... 13
4.3.2. Non-use value ............................................................................................................ 23
4.4. The summary of total value of Xuan Thuy National Park ........................................... 24
4.5. Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 26
V. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 27
VI. References ..................................................................................................................... 28
APPENDIX 1 ....................................................................................................................... 30
APPENDIX 2 ....................................................................................................................... 32


LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Total value of wood-based products and NTFPs ................................................... 15
Table 2. Value of aquatic products harvested annually (2015) ........................................... 15
Table 3. Total direct use value in research (unit: VND) ...................................................... 17
Table 4. Respondents’ socio-characteristics descriptive analysis ....................................... 19
Table 5. WTP to forest protection fund by characteristics of respondents (unit: VND) ..... 21
Table 6. Total indirect use value in research (unit: VND)................................................... 22
Table 7. Total investment capital for the National Park through the capital sources in the
period 1996-2002. ................................................................................................................ 25
Table 8. Summary of total value .......................................................................................... 26



I. Introduction
In the history of human development, to couple with rapid population economic
growth, people have been forced to exploit more and more natural resources. Today, the
variation of environmental consequences such as droughts, floods, environmental incidents,
natural disasters are complicated and unpredictable. Therefore, the importance of forests
cannot be underestimated. Forests are our land of trees and plants that covering a third of the
earth's surface, symbolize by the color of green in the common definition of
environmentalism. They are fundamental to life provide for the continuity of the world's
biodiversity which is necessary for economic development, the diversity of life forms,
human livelihood, and environmental adaptive responses. We depend on forests for our
survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing habitats for animals
and livelihoods for humans, forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and
mitigate climate change. Forests are of vast economic benefits to us. For instance, plantation
forests provide humans with wood and timber, which is used in construction and as raw
materials for numerous products. Also, whenever tourists visit the forest areas to view the
beautiful sceneries along the wildlife forms inhabiting the forests, the hosting nations and
communities get revenue from tourism. Forests are also a source of rare animals like wild
rabbits, and foods like vegetables such as berries, tubers, and edible mushrooms that grow
on the forest floor.
In Vietnam, forest and forestland are important roles and sources of livelihood for
the population living in or near forests and in mountainous areas of Vietnam... It has
contributed to the use of bare land, job creation and improvement of livelihoods for 25% of
Vietnam's population living in mountainous areas. From the practical needs, it is the trend of
conservation and development of wetlands have been accepted by many countries in the
world and voluntary implementation. Xuan Thuy National Park is the first place in Vietnam
to join the Ramsar Convention, so evaluation studies are required to fully evaluate its values
in order to exploit and use resources in a sustainable way. The main purpose of the project is
calculating the total economic value of Xuan Thuy NP to fully assess all the social benefits

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of this natural ecosystem and accurately representing resource resources in economic
language. Although economic valuation is not the only factor for every decision, it is an
input to decision-making along with important political, cultural, social and human factors.
Located at 150 km South-East of Hanoi, Xuan Thuy National Park (NP) at Giao
Thuy district, Nam Dinh province is famous for its natural conditions and habitat of
hundreds of precious plant and animal species. This lagrest coastal wetland ecosystem has
formed a natural reserve with many unique habitats of wetland ecosystems with numerous
wildlife and rare migratory birds. With a conservation area of 7,100 hectares and a buffer
zone of 8,000 hectares, including 3,000 hectares of mangroves and many valuable aquatic
species, this has created a wealth of new land. Therefore, since January 1989, UNESCO has
officially recognized this land as the 50th member of the Ramsar Convention. On 2/1/2003,
the Prime Minister signed the Decision No. 01/2003 / QD-TTg approving the change of
Xuan Thuy Wetland Nature Reserve into Xuan Thuy National Park with the main task of
preserving protect and manage valuable resources here. Resources in Xuan Thuy National
Park are not only of value for ecological environment protection but also of economic,
cultural, scientific and tourist value. Despite many efforts, the management of
environmental protection in Xuan Thuy NP still faces many complicated problems. One of
the main reasons is that the resource value of Xuan Thuy NP is only partially perceived by
the villagers through the immediate benefits, while many other unused values remain
unanswered. Therefore, to assess the economic value, in term of raising awareness and
implement measures to preserve the national park, it is the trend of conservation and
development of wetlands has been in many countries in the world. Implementing the Ramsar
Convention in January 1989, requires a through evaluation to fully assess the economic
value of a good exploitation, I selected the topic “Estimate the economic value of Xuan
Thuy NP, Nam Dinh Province”.
In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the thesis consists of 3 sections: Goals
& objectives, Methods and Results & discussion


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II. Goals and objectives
Goals
This research aims to evaluate the total economic value of Xuan Thuy NP in order to
raising awareness and implement measures to preserve the national park.
Objectives
1. To reconize economic value components of TEV of Xuan Thuy NP
2. To figure out appropriate methods to evaluate TEV of Xuan Thuy NP
3. To apply evaluation methods to assess economic value components of TEV of
Xuan Thuy
III. Methodology
3.1. Study site
According to the report “Experimental evaluation of personal economic development
of people in 5 communes in Xuan Thuy National Park” (Vu Huy Phuc, 2015):
In term of history, on October 2, 1989, UNESCO officially recognized the Red River
estuarine area (Xuan Thuy District) to join the Ramsar International Convention. It is the
50th Ramsar site in the world, and the first Ramsar site in the Asean region. By the end of
1989, the Xuan Thuy District People's Committee set up a district environmental
management board to lay the foundations for the establishment of the nature reserve.
About the area and location: The total natural area of the NP is 7100 ha, including
3,100 ha of floating land, 4,000 ha of wetlands, 65 km of Nam Dinh city and 155 km
southeast of Hanoi with coordinates: 20º10’ to 20º15’ North and 106º20’ to 106º32’ East
Topographic of the NP is quite flat, sloping from the North to the South, and is a
strong tidal flux. Average height from 0.5m to 0.9m, especially in Con Lu where the height
is 1.2m to 1.5m. The intertidal topography is separated by Vop river and Tra river
Xuan Thuy NP is located in the Gulf of Tonkin, under the influence of tropical
monsoon climate. The summer is from May to September with hot and humid weather and

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often influenced by tropical storms or low pressure. The winter season starts from
November to March. In early winter the air is cold, dry but late winter the air is c old
and humid. The average annual temperature is about 24ºC, the average annual rainfall
is 1,175 mm.
The buffer zone communities of Xuan Thuy National Park represent the open land
culture of Red River Delta residents. Cultural activities bearing the imprint of the rice
civilization of the Red River delta such as cheo, lion dance, cock fighting,...
Xuan Thuy National Park uses a community-based ecotourism model, stays at local
residents and uses services provided by buffer zone communities. Xuan Thuy National Park
provides 3 tourist routes through various forms in order to the needs of different objects: an
overview of the NP, explore nature and walk through natural habitats
3.2. Data
Data in the research is divided into two types: primary data and pre-existing data.
a. Primary data
In this research, sampling method is used to collect data. It is used to evaluate
willingness to pay of people who took part in research. A survey including 100 participants
who are residents and visitors are present in Xuan Thuy National Park was conducted.
Because the population in the core zone is quite scattered,it’s take time to collect the data
takes. Therefore I chose 100 samples. Because when I took the survey there were only few
foreigners visiting Xuan Thuy NP, I only collected data from domestic respondents
The survey included 9 questions which about gender, age, career, education level,
member in family and willing to contribution and income.
b. Pre-existing data
The research are mainly used pre-existing data in order to analysis and evaluation
the value of Xuan Thuy National Park.
3.3. Analysis methods
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3.3.1.

Descriptive statistic: with the data collected in survey, it will be synthesized

and evaluated to assess two content in research by using Excel: the willingness to pay
(WTP) of respondents and net present value (NPV). The paper uses NPV formula to
calculate: NPV =

(F: future payment, i: discount rate, n: the number of periods in the

future of F)
3.3.2. CVM (Contingent valuation method): CVM is a technique that allows the
estimation of the value that people attach to a change in the availability of an environmental
good or service by asking directly for their WTP or their willingness to accept (WTA) a
compensation. It is useful eliciting both use and non use values (it is the only technique
available for non use values). It has been used for valuing almost everything (air, water,
noise pollution, recreational services, biodiversity, protected areas, transport services). In
this research, i designed a survey with 9 questions about basics information of domestics
(there are no foreigners)
3.3.3. Using TEV (Total Economic Value) method in order to analyze the data and
information on the exploitation and use of natural resources in Xuan Thuy NP, the economic
values are being used in Xuan Thuy NP.
TEV = Use value + Non-use value
To clarify the economic value of Xuan Thuy NP, I need to clarify the use value and non-use
value.
a. Definition
Use value is the value of use is derived from the actual use of the environment,
values that satisfy the human needs of using them

Non-use value expresses the non-material values in the nature of things, but it does
not relate to the actual use, even the choice of the use of things
Use Value: Direct Use Value(DUV) + Indirect Use Value(IUV) + Option Value(OV)
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Non use Value: Bequest Value(BV) + Existence Value(EV)
So that: TEV = DUV + IUV + OV + BV + EV

Picture 1. The components of total economic value (Crotiou, 2007)
(source: African journal of agricultural research, 2010)
The direct use value is the value derived from the direct use of the resources of the
wetland. Examples of direct use values such as wood from mangroves are used as fuel or for
construction purposes, fish and crabs caught in streams through mangroves, used in
construction (roof and wall), folk remedies derived from plants and species found in wetland
ecosystems
Calculation formula:
X = F {(Q1P1 +.....+ QnPn) x S }
X: The total economic value of each UV by unit of value of use
F: Relational value function
Q: Volume of benefits
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P: Market price
S: Area of submerged land is calculated
The indirect use values are understood as ecological, hydrological, maintenance
and protection functions, natural or man-made processes, which are produced without direct
human intervention. in the wetland ecosystem . In order to calculate these indirect values
there are many different methods such as replacement cost, cost of damage avoided due to

wetlands, cost of prevention, or method of production change. Assume that the conservation
benefit of mangrove can be calculated through the added value of damage due to reduced
disaster preparedness in the absence of mangroves. This value can also be determined by
comparing other areas less damaged by mangroves. When land, houses, sea dykes, roads,
river banks ... are eroded or damaged, the value of damage shall be calculated as expenses to
restore them back to their original state.
The option value is an economic value difficult to assess individually, as it is
willing to pay (WIP) of an individual to conserve the choice of using a particular commodity
in the future. I use the CVM (Contigent Value Method) to determine it by compiling a
questionnaire asking how much residents and visitors in the WTP area for wetland
conservation. Total WTP in the area can be considered as the optimum value for wetlands.
However, most people in the area are willing to pay a small amount for this conservation.
Here I use the open question form, simply asking the individuals that they are willing to
contribute annual money to preserve the wetland. Give out milestones they can contribute to
wetland conservation funds. When the average WTP of the respondents was chosen, the
value of the respondents was calculated as follows:
Option Value = Average WTP of households in the region x Total number of
households in the area + Average WTP of visitors x Total number of visitors
Beques value is derived from the fact that individuals set a certain value for the
preservation of wetlands for future generations to use, whether used or not in use. future as
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residence, animals. Determination of value is relatively complex, the method commonly
used is CVM, through a questionnaire to estimate the value individuals are willing to pay to
protect wetlands. their descendants. Therefore, the techniques for producing the
questionnaire are the same as described above. After the results of average WTP of the
interviewees are obtained, the value is calculated according to the following formula:
Bequest Value = Average WTP of households in the area x Total number of
households in the area + Average WTP of visitors x Total number of visitors

Existence Value appears when individuals are willing to contribute money to
preserve a resource that they believe is valuable and needs to be preserved even if they do
not receive a personal benefit from conservation. This is a very difficult value to measure
b. The method is presented and applied in this study as follows:
- Step 1: Choose the suitable valuation method
There are three methods of impact analysis, partial pricing and total economic
valuation. On purpose of this research, i choose total economic value method
- Step 2: Determine the area
The determination of the boundaries of a particular Xuan Thuy NP is depented on
the administrative map, soil map provided by the park management
- Step 3: Identify elements, sort by importance
In this step it is necessary to use a variety of data sources from scientific studies,
reports from functional agencies to provide a specific list of components, functions and
attributes. They are in wetlands then sorted by importance
- Step 4: Group the elements, sort by the value of use is to determine what element,
function or attribute is the direct use value, indirect use value, non-use value. In order to
calculate the direct use value, local population interviews, population surveys and
consultancy reports should be calculated. More detailed scientific investigations are often

8


used to understand values for indirect uses, focusing on wetland physical links and related
economic activities.
- Step 5: Collect informations needed for the valuation
There should be many methods of collecting information from sources different. In
this research, informations can collect through management of Xuan Thuy NP and survey
which answered by domestic. If the research is not within the scope of the study, the
valuation of the value may stop at qualitative.
- Step 6: Use the information available to determine the economic value

With easy-to-understand, easy-to-quantify technical values, field value, the values
are harder to quantify than the techniques that can be used. These are not always appropriate
for developing countries due to the inaccuracy of their information. and incomplete
- Step 7: Perform the appropriate valuation
The wetlands economic analysis should be placed within the appropriate framework
as selected in the research planning process. For the purpose of the initial selection of the
sum of the economic values of a wetland, the work in this section sums up all direct values,
functional values and attributes of the studied area. Then compare it with the value of other
wetlands and comment on the value that it brings to society as a whole, in order to develop a
proper management and use of this resource.
IV. Results and discussion
4.1. Socio-economic characteristics
Social characteristics
Xuan Thuy NP has a total population of 69,347 people, 13,285 households with
4,206.73 ha natural area (2015). The average population density is 1,648.76 people /km2 (Vu
Huy Phuc, 2015)

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Labor structure: There are 40914 people in working age, take 50.9% population
(Female take 51.6%). On average, each household has 2 people in working age (Vu Huy
Phuc, 2015)
Structure of career in Xuan Thuy NP is presented in the following figure

Figure 1. Career structure in buffer zone (2015)
2,40%

2,30%
Agricuture

Marine E

22,70%

Service
Other
72,60%
Source: Commune
statics 2015

Economic characteristics
Agricultural production is a key sector in the economic development structure of
communes in the buffer zone of the National Park, with two major sectors: Cultivation and
Livestock.
- Cultivation: At present, the area of rice cultivation is 3,533.04 ha, accounting for
83.7% of cultivated land, cultivated land and other industrial crops account for 17.3% of
cultivated area
- Livestock: Cattle and poultry have been developed in both quantity and quality.
On average, each household has 3-4 pigs; 10-15 kinds of poultry. Compared with previous
years, pigs and poultry tend to increase faster, cattle and buffaloes tend to decrease
In term of marine economic, in recent years, the development has been identified as
a key economic sector in the region's economy. The average annual growth rate is 15-20%,
accounting for 20-25% of the agriculture-forestry-fishery. All communes in the buffer zone

10


have made positive changes in the field of aquaculture, natural exploitation and services. Of
which, aquaculture accounted for 51.5%, natural exploitation accounted for 48.5%
About trade and services: Trade networks of buffer zone communes have developed

in both size and type of business. The mode of operation is also quite diverse such as
exchanging, transporting goods, buying and selling necessary items to meet the needs of
production and life.
Of the remaining careers: Although the facilities have not been developed, some
places are still backward, but the small-scale industry also contributes significantly to the
economic restructuring, labor attraction and good exploitation of local resources
4.2. Natural resources
4.2.1. Plants
Vegetation composition in the NP is relatively poor compared to moist tropical
forests in hilly and mountainous areas. Only two plant species are floras and angiosperms.
The composition of the family and genus is very diverse compared to the total number of
species. Although only with 116 species but including 42 families, 99 branches of plants
(2004-2010)
The plant resources evaluation: the mangrove forest of the NP contains a rich and
varied mangrove conglomerate. Every year, the value of forest plants is very high, including
direct values of wood and firewood. In addition, Xuan Thuy NP also contains many species
of plants and valuable medicinal plants such as: wild pineapple, lake, ginseng ... Mangroves
create the landscape and beautiful of the whole region. The vegetation caused by the
chlorophyll produced the first primary biological product of the ecosystem, during the
decomposition of the plant that provided food to the food chain at higher levels. The
vegetation also provides shelter and feeding for animals.
4.2.2. Animals and aquatic organisms

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The fauna of the NP is characterized by the lowland fauna and flora fauna of the
highland with the abundance of migratory waterbirds and migratory birds in the faunal,
reptile and frog habitats part and number of species. Value of animals resources are
evaluated as follows:

Animals are poorly composition, mainly rodents
Birds: Every year in the winter (from November to December) migratory birds from
the north (Xiberi, South Korea ...) to the south (Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia ...) to warm
spring 3, 4) birds fly back to their breeding grounds. In 1994, an estimated 120,000 seabirds
stopped in the Red River delta during the migration period. Currently, at the time of
migration, there may be 30 to 40 thousand of species. Up to 11 species of rare birds are
listed in the international red book.
Fish: There are 107 species of 12 orders, 44 families, there are over 40 fish species
of economic value, fish yield reaches 4000 tons / year. Some species of high value such as:
sea bass, cobia, mullet, mackerel, mackerel ... In terms of number of fish species is quite
large. Recently, however, the decline has been due to overexploitation.
Bottom animals: The composition of bottom fauna is relatively rich, 154 species
have been discovered, some of which are of high economic value such as clams, crabs,
crabs, crabs, shrimp, shrimp and yellow shrimp. Recently, black tiger shrimp has been
introduced to raise and have high economic value, complementing the structure of marine
specialties of the region.
Floating animals: Consisting of 165 species of 14 species, the distribution of
individual floating animals subject to the salt. In the dry season, individual density reaches
tens of thousands / m3. In the rainy season, the density of individuals decreased to less than
1000 individuals / m3, whether in dry season or rainy season, cloaked claws still have the
highest number of individuals, creating large biomass, as a source of abundant food. other
animals in the area
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4.3. Evaluation of total economic value of Xuan Thuy NP
The paper calculates the economic value of 4,000 hectares area according to
researchs of Vu Huy Phuc (2015) and Nguyen Duc Thang (2014).
4.3.1. Use Value
4.3.1.1. Direct Use

a.

Value of wood-based products

The value of timber collected at the NP is from the forest area, including both
mangrove forest (both plantation and natural forests) and casuarina forest. Xuan Thuy NP
has 14 species of trees, which are either purely native or purebred, and therefore is poor in
composition. At present, the forest area of the national park has an 4,000 hectares of
economic timber with an age range of 10 to 5 years approximately. According to the
statistics of the national park, the average timber volume in the mangroves is 65 m3/ha (Vu
Huy Phuc, 2015). So total timber volume of Xuan Thuy NP is:
Timber volume = 4000 x 65 = 260,000 (m3)
Average forest period is about 15 years. With a view to creating sustainable
livelihoods for the people, the actual timber value exploitation is only 80% (Management
board of Xuan Thuy NP, 2016). The price of wood used in this research is 600,000
VND/1m3 (Vu Huy Phuc, 2015 and Nguyen Thanh Nga, 2014) .
The average annual economic value of timber yield is:
EV of timber = (260,000 x 0.8 x 600,000) : 15 = 8,320,000,000 (VND/year)
b. Value of firewood
The firewood is mainly obtained from mangroves of the wetland, which is not used
for sale in the market but is used directly as fuel and protects shrimp ponds (Ngoc Anh,
2016). Mining takes place in two forms: thinning process and exploitation

13


Thinning process: The area of mangrove in shrimp ponds is about 1,327 ha. Average
yield of firewood after thinning is 7 m3 / ha (in a 15 year cycle). With the same source of
wood price, the price of firewood is 350,000 VND (Vu Huy Phuc, 2015)
Therefore average annual economic value of firewood yield obtained by thinning is:

EV of firewood obtained by thinning = (1,327 x 7 x 350,000) : 15 = 216,743,333
(VND/year)
In addition, firewood production is exploited in both natural mangrove forests and
plantations with a total area of more than 2,000 ha (Management department of Xuan Thuy
National Park, 2016). Theoretically, the harvest of firewood accounts for only 1/10 of total
forest reserves in a 15-year forest cycle. Due to its small size, the average is 3m3/ ha
(Management board of Xuan Thuy NP, 2016)
So total of firewood volume is: 3 x 2000 x 1/10 = 600 (m3)
Average annual value of firewood is:
EV of firewood obtained by exploitation = (600 x 350,000) : 15 = 14,000,000 (VND/year)
Total number value of firewood is: EV of firewood = 230,743,333 (VND/year)
c.

Non forest timber products (NFTPs)

According to statistic provided by Xuan Thuy NP Management Officer, there are
about 60 local households and visitors entering the national park to harvest these NFTPs
every year. NTFPs are mainly used to make medicines by domestic people When they come
to the actual site of the NP, they report that their average income per year from exploiting
NTFPs is approximately 1,300,000 VND (Xuan Minh, 2015)
Thus, the total economic value obtained from non-timber forest products is:
EV of NFTPs = 60 x 1,300,000 = 78,000,000 (VND/year)

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Table 1. Total value of wood-based products and NTFPs
Products

Quantity


Price

Year

Value

Percentage

(m3)/

(vnd/m3)

harvest

(vnd/year)

(%)

Household
Wood
Firewood
NTFPs

208,000
600

9,289
60


600,000

15

8,320,000,000

96.4

350,000

15

230,743,333

2.8

78,000,000

0.8

8,628,743,333

100

1,300,000

Total

(Source: synthesized by the author)
According the table, harvesting wood are the main revenues of wood-based products

and NFTPs with a very high proportion (96.4%)
d. Value of fishing and aquaculture
Aquaculture is the sector that benefits most from the NP. The mollusc culture in
Giao Lac, Giao Xuan and Giao Hai communes has developed strongly, earning billions
VND per year. Aquatic products that bring economic value from mangrove are fish from
aquaculture and capture fisheries, mainly fish, shrimp, crab, clams, and so on. In order to
calculate the value of aquaculture in Xuan Thuy NP, the data is collected from the District
Office of Statistics in conjunction with the information obtained from local people. The
value of aquatic products is calculated according to the formula:
V(m) =∑
(Vm : value of fishing and aquaculture; Pi : price of product; Qi : quantity of product )
Table 2. Value of aquatic products harvested annually (2015)
Product

Qi (kg)

Pi (VND/kg)

Value (VND/year)

Fish

74,726

10,000

747,260,000

Shrimp


25,817

85,000

2,194,450,000

9,372

45,000

42,174,000

4,500,000

6,000

27,000,000,000

-

-

165,627,000

Crab
Clams
Mollucs
Total

30,149,511,000

(Source: Survey on the status of livelihood development in Xuan Thuy NP- 2014)

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The value of clams takes the highest proportion in total value of aquatic products
(about 90%). In recent years, buffer zone communes have been promoting development and
raising clams to become the main income
e. Value of exploiting natural products in the area
According to the statistics reported by Giao Thuy district, on average, 250 people
from communes of the buffer zone and neighboring areas conduct natural products
exploitation in the NP (Lam Hanh, 2018). They harvest seedlings, crabs , “cáy mật” in
nature all around year except for a few months of heavy and persistent rain, average of 300
days per year (Lam Hanh ,2018). Through field surveys by direct interviews with local
people, they report that on average they earn about 70,000 VND per day. Thus, the value of
natural resources of the region each year is:
EV of natural resources = 70,000 x 300 x 250 = 5,250,000,000 (VND/year)
f. Recreation value
In recent years, the number of international delegations to the National Park has been
around 40 - 50 delegations per year. The average number of visitors is 200~250 persons /
year. Most visitors are biologists (bird or mangrove and aquatic studies) (Vu Huy Phuc,
2015). Domestic guests increase annually, about > 200 delegations / year. The number is
about 2,000 people per year. Most visitors are: students, students, visiting staff and local
people come back to visit. According to the data provided by the national park, the average
time spent by each delegations is two days per group with average revenue of 400,000500,000 per person (Vietnam) and 40-50$ per person (foreign tourist, 1$ = 21,500 in
11/2015)
So, tourism and entertainment bring about the following value averagely:
EV of recreation value = 200 x 50 x 21,500 + 2000 x 500,000 = 1,215,000,000 (VND/year)
g. The benefits of wildlife products
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The main value of wildlife products is honey. Although the flowers of the mangrove
trees only bloom in a few months, on average about four months a year, they provide quite a
large amount of honey pollen, which is about 30 tons of honey per year. According to the
research on living conditon in Xuan Thuy NP (Nguyen Duc Thang, 2014-2015), the price of
raw honey in 2015 is 38,000 VND per kg then total value of honey is :
EV of wildlife products = 30,000 x 38,000 = 1,140,000,000 (VND/year)
h. Economic value of livestock grazing in the area
Every day there are about 500-600 cattle and more than 100 goats of border guards
in the area(Lam Hanh, 2018). Since grazing foods are available, households do not have to
pay for their livestock.Without this free grazing foods, everyday they would have to pay
more than 10,000 VND to buy grass food for livestock. So every year the economic benefits
of livestock grazing is:
EV of livestock grazing = 600 x 10,000 x 365 = 2,190,000,000 (VND/year)
Table 3. Total direct use value in research (unit: VND)
No.

Products/Functions

1

Wood

2

Firewood

3


NTFPs

4

Fishing and aquaculture

5

Value (VND)

Percentage (%)

8,320,000,000

17.9

230,743,333

0.49

78,000,000

0.16

30,149,511,000

65

Exploiting natural products


5,250,000,000

11.3

6

Touriest and recreation

1,215,000,000

2.6

7

Wildlife

1,140,000,000

2.55

Total

46,383,254,333
(Source:synthesized by the author)

17

100



Fishing and aquaculture is the highest value in total direct use value in research
(65%). It is very suitable to the trend of economic development of Xuan Thuy NP recent
years. It should be invested to become an important economic sector in Xuan Thuy NP
4.3.1.2. Indirect use
The indirect use value is calculated based on the benefits gained from the ecological
functions
a.

Protection function of sea dykes, storms

The role of mangroves in the protection of sea dykes, waves and wind storms are
very important. The value of protection function is calculated according to two periods
including before the rainy season and after the rainy season (Minh Ha, 2014)
Before rainy season: the research uses the data of stage 2004-2010 because there is
no new data available. There are a total of 32km of sea dykes in Giao Thuy district, of which
11km of coastline is protected by mangrove forest. Each laborer contributes only 15,000
VND for the protection of the remaining dyke without protection forest. The annual sea
dyke protection value of the mangroves is:
EV of protection function before rainy season =

x 11 = 321,467,143

(VND/year)
After rainy season: Vietnam is a country with tropical monsoon climate, so much
sunshine, heavy rain, frequent floods and severe consequences, especially in coastal areas.
Giao Thuy district received VND 30 billion, which was used to repair 4 km of damaged
dyke in Giao Phong, Quat Lam in 2005. Thus the benefits of mangrove in protecting dykes
when natural disasters occur is:
EV of protection function after rainny season = (30 : 4) x 11 = 82,500,000,000 (VND/year)
The value of the national park in the protection of dykes, storms and storms year is:

EV of protection function = 321,467,143 + 82,500,000,000 = 82,821,467,143 (VND/year)
18


4.3.1.3. Option Value
Option value associated with the conservation plan is very difficult to quantify. The
value of these benefits is not always recognized, but may only become apparent when
wetlands are preserved. Because the selected values arise from the unpredictability of the
unknown benefits of the wetland in the future, they are particularly difficult to estimate. In
order to initially calculate the option value, the research uses the CVM methodology and
conducted an investigation to determine the average WTP level for conserving resources at
the national park.
Data collection and survey: with the purpose of the study, the survey covers
respondents in the 5 buffer zone communes. Information was collected by direct interviews
with each household selected for interviewing. However, due to time and technical
constraints, the sample size chosen for the project is about 100 respondents in 5 buffer
zones. The form of questionnaire is presented in Appendix 4. Analysis in the study is based
on 100 questionnaires.
Interviews data analysis:
Gender, age, career, education level and income are taken completely random.
However for generalizing data, the research uses a wide range of age and career. The
willingness to pay (WTP) for a forest protection fund is investigated in 100 respondents. The
results has shown in tables below

19


Table 4. Respondents’ socio-characteristics descriptive analysis
No


1

2

3

4

5

6

Characteristics

Age

Career

Gender

Education level

Income (thousand
VND)

Amout WTP
(thousand VND)

Number (people)


Proportion (%)

22-30

18

18

31-40

25

25

41-50

37

37

51-60

14

14

61-70

6


6

Agriculture

43

43

Fishery

36

36

Teacher

1

1

Civil servants

10

10

Business

8


8

Other

2

2

Male

58

58

Female

42

42

Junior high school

28

28

High school

47


47

University

24

24

Other

1

1

Under 500

0

0

500 - 1,500

24

24

1,500 - 2,500

49


49

2,500 - 3,500

17

17

Over 3,500

10

10

0

0

0

50

48

48

100

26


26

150

20

20

200

6

6

(Source: Data collection survey and synthesized by the author))

20


Table 5. WTP to forest protection fund by characteristics of respondents
(Unit: VND)
WTP intervals
No

1

2

3


4

Characteristics

Age

Career

Gender

Educati

5

(thousa
nd
VND)

100,000 200,000
-

and

150,000

over

Proporti

respond


on (%)

ents

22-30

8

8

2

18

18

31-40

9

12

4

25

25

41-50


14

18

5

37

37

51-60

4

7

3

14

14

61-70

1

5

0


6

6

Agriculture

13

27

3

43

43

Fishery

13

19

7

36

36

Teacher


0

1

0

1

1

Civil servants

6

2

2

10

10

Business

0

6

2


8

8

Other

0

2

0

2

2

Male

25

27

6

58

58

Female


15

19

8

42

42

Junior high school

15

9

4

28

28

High school

14

30

3


47

47

4

13

7

24

24

Other

0

1

0

1

1

Under 500

0


0

0

0

0

500 - 1,500

19

5

0

24

24

1,500 - 2,500

28

18

3

49


49

2,500 - 3,500

5

8

4

17

17

Over 3,500

0

3

7

10

10

on level University

Income


50,000

Total

(Source : synthesized by the author)
In term of gender on effect to thier WTP, it can not be confirmed that gender affects
WTP because the sample is small. The research also does not reflect local gender status

21