Factors affecting residents' behavioral intentions for coastal conservation: Case study at Shizugawa Bay, Miyagi, Japan

Abstract

Stakeholders in coastal areas including fishermen and local residents could manage coastal ecosystems sustainably. However, in Japan, a majority of rural areas including mountainous villages and fishing hamlets are encountering depopulation and aging because of urbanization and an overall decrease of the country's population. This study's objective was to identify factors that affect local residents' behavioral intentions for coastal conservation. A questionnaire survey was conducted of residents living around Shizugawa Bay in Miyagi prefecture in northeast Japan. The findings revealed eleven variables that affected respondents’ behavioral intentions to conserve the coastal area; furthermore, there were fourteen variables that affected their behavioral intention to make financial sacrifices. The respondents' willingness to know more regarding wildlife had the strongest influence on both of their behavioral intentions. Those who were willing to pay for coastal conservation were likely female, younger, had a higher annual household income, and lived farther from Shizugawa Bay. This study proposed that local stakeholders living adjacent to the coastal area could establish a funding system for conservation and sustainable management to which residents primarily living in cities could contribute.