RECREATIONAL VALUES OF MANGROVE FOREST IN LARUT MATANG, PERAK

The mangrove forest of Larut Matang is a highly productive ecosystem providing many benefits to local residents such as returns from fish and shrimp catching, cockle rearing, timber harvesting and non-timber products. Recreation is another important activity in the mangrove ecosystem. However, estimating benefits from outdoor recreation is less direct because recreation has no market price. The study was aimed at estimating recreational benefits (direct service values) of the mangrove ecosystem. A total of 331 local recreationists were interviewed using the contingency valuation method (CVM). To reduce biasness in CVM, emphasis was given to appropriate selection of sample and proper designing of the questionnaire. The mean willingness to pay (WTP) per recreationist was RM44.58 per visit while the estimated value was RM41.18 per visit.