Assessment of Willingness to Pay for Wetlands Protection in Ondo State, Nigeria

Wetlands provide numerous kinds of advantages and functions, making them vital ecosystems. However, the exploitation of these resources has led to their significant depletion. Engaging communities who rely on wetlands in their sustainable management is crucial to stem the degradation of these critical habitats. This research investigated the willingness of individuals to donate financially to the conservation of wetlands in Ondo State, Nigeria. It aimed to identify the factors influencing the community's willingness to pay (WTP) and to measure the financial commitment made to wetland restoration. A systematic multi-phase sample method was used to survey 124 people who lived close to wetlands. The Binary Probit Regression Model (BPRM), the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), and descriptive statistics were all included in the analysis. The results show that the majority of respondents (64.5%) were men, with an average age of 60 and a typical household size of six people. The importance of wetlands as water reserves was emphasized by more than half of the respondents (52%) to the survey. Moreover, 53% of respondents said that they would be willing to contribute financially to the conservation of wetlands, with an average monthly payment of ₦1038.68. Gender, household size, proximity to wetlands, and yearly income were found to be significant predictors of WTP for wetland preservation in the BPRM analysis. The study highlights the community's overall willingness to contribute to wetlands protection. It promotes laws and initiatives meant to raise regional revenues and encourage more community participation in wetland preservation.

land and water resources can be accomplished with the help of local engagement.Wetland users' involvement is essential to mitigating the issues associated with wetland degradation (Shrestha, 2011).The importance of community involvement in sustainable wetland management has drawn the greatest attention.Wetlands can only be sustainably valued if they are maintained and used with good understanding and collaboration within and across people (Shrestha, 2011).

LITERATURE REVIEW
Rural people's willingness-to-pay (WTP), which indicates their will to take part in natural resource management, is vital for the preservation and conservation of the wetlands surrounding them.To find effective policy tools that may be used to encourage community members to participate in natural resource management and to guarantee the effectiveness of such policies, it is thus vital to understand the elements that influence people's WTP.In view of this, the study was conducted to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the people residing near the wetlands in the study area determine the direct and indirect benefits that the respondents have access to examine the respondents' perceptions regarding the significance of the direct and indirect benefits that wetlands provide estimate the respondents' willingness to pay (WTP) for the protection of wetlands and identify the factors that influence the respondents' willingness to pay for the protection of wetlands.

METHODOLOGY
This research was conducted in Ondo State, Nigeria, which is located in the tropical latitude range of 5°45'N to 8°15'N and longitude range of 4°45'E to 6°E.Surrounded by Ekiti State to the North-West, Osun State to the West and Centre, Ogun State to the South-East, Delta State to the South-East and the Atlantic Ocean to the South, Ondo State experiences a tropical climate.The climate is characterized by two distinct seasons: the dry season from November to March and the rainy season from April to October with minor annual variations.Average rainfall is 2,000 mm in the south and 1,150 mm in the north, supporting lush vegetation throughout the state.The southern landscape is dominated by coastal forests and mangrove swamps, while the north is humid lowland forests and savannas.
The study focused exclusively on primary data collected through interviews with residents living near wetlands in the target area using a structured interview schedule.A multistage sampling method was used to select participants.Initially, two local government areas (LGAs), Ese-Odo and Ilaje, located in the wetland regions of the state, were purposively selected.Two communities were subsequently randomly selected from each LGA namely Ugbo and Igbokoda from Ilaje and Igbekebo and Sabomi from Ese-Odo.In the final stage, 35 residents from each community were randomly selected, although only data from 124 respondents were considered comprehensive enough for inclusion.Data analysis included descriptive statistics, binary probit regression model (BPRM) and contingent valuation method (CVM).Descriptive statistics summarized respondents' socioeconomic profiles and assessed their perceptions of wetland benefits on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "very important" to "very unimportant".Statements assessing perceptions of wetland conservation for agriculture and fisheries were included.A mean perception score was calculated, with scores interpreted as "not important," "undecided," or "important" based on predetermined thresholds.
The contingent valuation method (CVM), a non-market valuation approach, estimates preferences for specific environmental changes.CVM surveys ask participants about their willingness to pay for the conservation or use of natural resources, assuming choices mimic those in a hypothetical market.This method is versatile and can assess environmental benefits without relying on current market data.
A Probit model, a binary sample regression, was used to examine willingness to pay (WTP) for wetland conservation, coding responses as "0" (unwillingness) and "1" (willingness).This model analysed factors influencing respondents' WTP to support wetland conservation efforts, based on the assumption that WTP is driven by a linear latent model following Wooldridge (2001): Instead of observing   * , only a binary variable indicating the sign of   * is observed: The distribution of yi is easily obtained given xi as follows:

RESULT AND DISCUSSION Socio-Economic Characteristics of the Respondents
Table 1 presents the socio-economic profiles of the survey participants, revealing that a significant portion (64.5%) were male.The data further indicates that the average respondent's age was approximately 53, with a considerable number (33.1%) falling within the 51 to 60 age brackets, highlighting a predominance of middle-aged individuals in the study.Additionally, a majority (66.9%) reported having households of six to ten members, averaging six individuals per household, suggesting prevalent large family sizes.This demographic detail is important as it might reflect a reliance on wetland resources for family support.Research by Lamsal et al. (2015) suggests a correlation between larger household sizes and increased resource extraction, alongside a rise in income generated from wetland resources.In terms of education, the largest group of respondents (35.5%) had completed primary education, indicating a relatively high level of literacy among the study's participants.This literacy level is crucial as it potentially increases awareness and comprehension of the importance of wetland conservation, positively influencing their willingness to financially contribute to conservation efforts.Studies by Zhu et al. (2016) and Zhang et al. (2010) support the notion that higher educational achievements are linked to a greater inclination towards supporting wetland preservation initiatives.The survey also examined the primary occupations of the respondents, finding that 29.1% were engaged in fishing.Income levels varied, with the majority (61.3%) earning between ₦10,000 and ₦50,000 monthly, with an average income of around ₦59,000 as noted in Table 1.It was observed that a vast majority (84.7%) of the respondents utilized their land for agriculture, and 54.0% owned land adjacent to wetlands.When questioned about their exposure to wetland conservation information, 65.3% affirmed having received such information, indicating a significant level of awareness regarding wetland conservation efforts among the community.Benefit Derived from the Wetland by Respondents Table 2 displays the results of the respondents' access to the wetlands' direct and indirect benefits.According to the table, all respondents-100.0%fished in wetlands and produced agricultural goods there.Furthermore, wetlands provided the majority of responders (98.0% and 73.0%) with their water and therapeutic herbs.Ninety-one percent of those surveyed claimed to have used the wetlands for transportation as well.This implied that the respondents' livelihoods depended on the wetland, underscoring the need for appropriate conservation of the region.This is consistent with research by Zekarias, Govindu, Yechale, and Gelaw (2021) which discovered that wetland helps people's livelihood by offering several advantages to the study area's residents.The table also showed that 90.0% of respondents indirectly utilized the wetland as a water reservoir, and 71.0% of respondents indirectly used it as a tourism destination.

Perceptions of Respondents Regarding the Importance of the Wetland's Indirect Benefit
Considering the benefits of wetlands, it was imperative to ascertain from the respondents the extent to which they believed the wetlands may offer a few particular advantages to the society.The results about their perspective are shown in Table 3.According to the Table, the respondents believed that the wetland should be protected since it provides an immediate benefit for transportation, agriculture, fishing, and water supply.The marsh is important as a water storage place, albeit indirectly.The study (Kaffashi, Shamsudin, Radam, & Abdul Rahim, 2015) found that in order to meet societal needs, wetland conservation was essential.

Distribution of Respondents According to Their Willingness to Pay
Figure 1 illustrates the willingness to pay (WTP) among respondents for conserving nearby wetlands.The data indicates that a slight majority (53.0%) of participants are prepared to contribute financially towards wetland preservation, while the remaining 47.0% prefer not to pay.These findings resonate with the research conducted by Bhatt, Shah, and Abdullah (2014), Kaffashi, Shamsudin, Radam, and Abdul Rahim (2015), and Baffoe, Mizunoya, and Yabar (2021), which also observed a predominant willingness among surveyed individuals to invest in the protection of wetlands within their localities.Table 4 shows the breakdown of the 66 respondents based on the exact amount they are willing to spend.According to the table, 25.8% of respondents were willing to pay up to ₦500, while 36.4% were willing to pay up to ₦1,000.Only 1.5% of them were willing to part with ₦3,000 and ₦4,000 respectively.The average monthly payment respondents were willing to pay was ₦1038.68.  5 presents the analysis and marginal effects derived from the Binary Probit Regression Model (BPRM).The analysis reveals that variables such as age, education level, awareness of wetland conservation efforts, and utilization of adjacent land do not significantly affect the willingness to pay (WTP) for wetland conservation.In contrast, factors including gender, household size, proximity to wetlands, and annual income have a significant impact on WTP at various levels of statistical significance (5%, 10%, 5%, and 1%, respectively).
The analysis indicates a higher propensity among men than women to financially support wetland conservation, evidenced by a positive gender coefficient.Specifically, the marginal effect shows a 31.19%higher WTP among males than females, possibly reflecting the greater direct benefits men derive from wetland resources.Additionally, an increase in the distance from a respondent's residence to the wetland correlates with a higher WTP, with a 0.52% increase in WTP for every additional kilometre, suggesting that those living further away value the wetlands highly for their ecological benefits.
Conversely, larger household sizes correlate with a decreased WTP for wetland conservation, with a 7.75% reduction in WTP for each additional household member.This trend could be attributed to the financial constraint's larger families face, prioritizing consumption over environmental contributions.This observation aligns with findings by Kaffashi et al. (2015), indicating that environmental expenditure competes with other household financial demands.
The analysis further demonstrates a positive relationship between annual income and WTP, suggesting that higher income levels increase the likelihood of contributing to wetland conservation.This relationship may be due to the economic benefits that households derive from the wetlands, coupled with the general economic principle that increased income enhances purchasing power and demand for goods, including environmental conservation.This conclusion is supported by Mohamed et al. (2012), who reported that wealthier households show a greater readiness to invest in environmental protection compared to less affluent ones.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study offered a thorough understanding of the community's payment decisions for the preservation of wetlands in Nigeria's Ondo State.The findings demonstrated that respondents' yearly income, gender, family size, and distance to the wetland all had a substantial impact on WTP.This proved that some respondents' socioeconomic traits play a significant role in determining WTP for the preservation of wetlands.The majority of respondents acknowledged the necessity for wetland conservation and expressed a willingness to pay for it, thus action must be done to adopt a favourable policy and make sure that it is properly implemented.
Additionally, the BPRM finding demonstrated that respondents are more likely to be ready to pay to conserve the wetlands if their yearly income is larger.In such instance, the government and other parties with an interest in rural development should make sure that programs for improving people's income are pursued and successfully executed in order to motivate the communities surrounding wetlands to take part in their preservation.

Arifalo 104 Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Distribution of Respondents According to Their Willingness to Pay

Table 2 .
Benefits Derived from the Wetlands by Respondents (n = 124)

Table 3 .
Perception of Respondents on the Importance of Benefits of the Wetland (n = 124)

Table 4 .
Distribution of Respondents by the Amounts They are Willing to Pay per Month

Table 5 .
Probit Model Estimation of Factors Influencing Respondents'