Assessment of conservation benefits of ecotourism in secondary forest ecosystems using PD-ZTCMWTP in Mt Yangbew, Benguet, Philippines

The study developed the PD-ZTCM-WTP Protocol for quantifying ecotourism benefits in secondary forest sites using Mt. Yangbew as a study case. The protocol consists of three major components namely plant diversity (PD), Zone Travel Cost Method (ZTCM) and willingness to pay (WTP) corresponding respectively to measurement of environmental protection, economic benefits and psychosocial benefits. Using the protocol, a total of 120 plant species under 101 genera and 54 families were identified in Mt. Yangbew with mostly native species but were generally the common/least concern type with only few conservation important species. Nonetheless, the relatively high species richness of plants in the area could be attributed to its protection from the annual bush fires that were prevalent before its inception as ecotourism site in 2020. In terms of economic value, tourisms in Mt. Yangbew is estimated at Php 5,558,974.55 for the year 2023 with Zone 1 (nearest zone) contributing the bulk of visits and the corresponding economic value. Majority of the visitors are satisfied with their visits and are willing to pay additional fee for the site’s continuous protection and improvement. Their satisfaction is mostly based on the scenic view, natural landscape, trail quality and the solitude that the mountain site offers. The conduct of this protocol for the first time would serve as baseline data and its successive conduct, eg. every 3-5 years, could readily quantify the claimed benefits of ecotourism in secondary forest ecosystem.