Mobilizing Resources for Marine Turtle Conservation in Asia: A Cross-country Perspective

This article reports the results of a comparative study conducted in China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to assess households' willingness to pay for marine turtle conservation and the potential to mobilize funds. Results show that imposing even a modest mandatory surcharge on residential electricity bills would not pass a referendum. This suggests that many people place a low priority on marine turtle conservation compared to other public policy issues. Nevertheless, there is some potential for voluntary contributions, though mobilizing these also presents problems. Until Asia develops higher per capita incomes and trustworthy payment vehicles, the international community will need to play an important role in financing conservation in the region.