Author : Alli, Roel, A.

Summary : The study was conducted to estimate the economic value for the protection of the Maasin watershed reservation in Iloilo, Philippines. The Contigent Valuation Method (CVM) was adopted to measure people's valuation of watershed protection with willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA) compensation as measures. Two WTP format methods were used, namely: the payment card and the open-ended question. A total of 360 respondent (240 off-site and 120 on-site) were interviewed. Opportunity costs analysis was used to estimate the costs incurred by local residents as a result of watershed protection. Factors affecting WTP was determined using the Tobit (censored regression) model while factors affecting WTA compensation were derived using the multiple regression model.