Economic Valuation of the Mangrove Forest in Metinaro Coastal, Timor-Leste

The coastal area mangrove ecosystem is one of the natural resources with an important role viewed from the ecosystem, economic, and social points. The natural resources have an economic potential as the place to get wood, spawning ground, nursery ground, and feeding ground for fish and other marine biotas, as well as sea wave breaker and protector of sea water intrusion into the land. This study was aimed at analyzing economic valuation of the mangrove forest total ecosystem in Metinaro Coastal, Timor-Leste, which was done on the first of December, 2014 until the first of January, 2015. This study was a descriptive qualitative research using a survey method. The data collected have the aspects of direct values (firewood, building wood, palm leaves, fish, shrimps, and crabs), indirect values, choice, and existence, and the use of mangrove forest ecosystem as the source of livelihood. Based on the total economic valuation of the mangrove forest in Metinaro with the area of ±249.88 ha has the values of about Rp.19599.75, Rp.24,739,600, Rp.508,000, Rp.47,729,775, Rp.25,387,300, and Rp.13,360,400 million in terms of direct value as firewood, direct value as house building materials, direct value as palm leaves, direct value as direct value as fish, direct value as shrimps, and direct value as mangrove forest ecosystem respectively every year. The indirect use value (something that restrains or resists abrasion) is Rp.4,584,700 million a year, choice (biodiversity), Rp.6985 thousand/ha/year, existence (willingness to pay the existence of mangrove forest) Rp.12,395,200 thousand/ha/year. In general, the total economic value is Rp.149,002,750 every year and this becomes the reference for the government to determine the policy of managing and using the mangrove forest.