Jubin Antony

SUMMARY Mangrove forests’ contribution to the coastal biodiversity is invaluable. They serve as habitat for marine flora and fauna and also cleanse the water. They act as breeding ground to many fish species. Still the mangroves are destroyed large scale for aquaculture farming and also for tourism industry. We have conducted a contingent valuation survey to study the willingness of coastal fishermen community in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India to contribute towards the cultivation of mangroves. Zero Inflated Poisson model was used to estimate the number of days fishermen willing to work. We have also identified the factors influencing their decision to participate or not to participate in the program. Keywords: Contingent Valuation, Willingness to Work, Zero Inflated Poisson Distribution, Model Based Estimator.