海琴论坛预告第13期（1）：以“观龟”补偿地方渔业经济——一种海龟保护策略

报告简介：

Marine turtles have been roaming the oceans for about 190 million years, although only seven species are known to be living today. Of these seven, Sri Lanka is host to five species. Turtle Species found in Sri Lanka are Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta). Rekawa sanctuary on the southern tip of Sri Lanka is the prime turtle nesting habitat in the country. Thousands of turtle flock to Rekawa beach every year to lay their eggs and hatch their young ones come out from the hatched eggs.

Turtles at the Rekawa sanctuary in Sri Lanka are under threat due to ongoing illegal activities such as killing turtles for meat, egg collection for sale, and the use of turtle shells to make products for markets. This study estimates the entrance fee that can be charged to visitors for ‘turtle watching’ to ascertain whether revenues from such fees can be used to compensate fishermen and reduce such illegal activities. We carried out a contingent valuation study at the Rekawa sanctuary and Bundala and Yala national parks to examine the foreign and local visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for turtle conservation under two different management scenarios. Scenario 1 sought to ascertain visitor preferences if visitor services were improved, while Scenario 2 focused on both visitor services and potential conservation initiatives. The findings suggest that a majority (63%) of visitors are willing to pay an entrance fee, which can be used for protecting turtles and improving visitor facilities at Rekawa. The estimated mean WTP per visit for local visitors was LKR 220 (USD 0.73) and LKR 337 (USD 1.12) for Scenarios 1 and 2, respectively, while the mean WTP of foreign visitors was USD 15 and USD 19 for Scenarios 1 and 2, respectively. Further, if we implement scenarios 1 and 2, annual revenue would increase by LKR 165 million and LKR 118 million respectively.

The study recommends the following policy directions that would help in both turtle conservation and the provision of economic incentives for the local community: (i) streamlining and promoting ‘turtle watching’ at Rekawa; (ii) introducing a new fee structure for turtle watching; (iii) proposing a proper incentive/compensation scheme for the local community to get involved in turtle conservation; (iv) establishing a village-level welfare fund using a percentage of the gate collection to improve the basic infrastructure facilities in Rekawa village that would benefit the entire community, thus providing an incentive for everyone in the community to support the initiative. Therefore, the policy makers would be able to get the local community involved in turtle conservation through ‘turtle watching’ tourism initiative.