PUBLIC VALUES REGARDING AN URBAN MANGROVE WETLAND IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Mangrove wetlands are facing an existential threat from rapid socio-economic development. In this study, public environmental values regarding mangrove wetlands in the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) city in the United Arab Emirates were assessed, considering gender, age, education, income, length of residency in RAK, knowledge of RAK mangrove and awareness of sustainability. A population sample of 427 respondents were face-to-face interviewed. Results suggest that mangrove value orientations are highly associated with length of residency in RAK and awareness of sustainability at significance levels of 0.003 and 0.005, respectively. Value orientations are less associated with age, knowledge of RAK mangrove and education at significance levels of 0.023, 0.039 and 0.095, respectively, being largely independent of gender and income. The majority of the respondents support the preservation of the mangroves even at the expense of economic development. This indicates the need to draft policies and regulations to safeguard the mangroves.

Automated summary

This study assessed the public environmental values of mangrove wetlands in Ras Al Khaimah city, United Arab Emirates, taking into consideration factors such as gender, age, education, income, length of residency, knowledge of mangroves, and awareness of sustainability. The results showed that value orientations towards mangroves were strongly associated with length of residency and awareness of sustainability. Age, knowledge of mangroves, and education had weaker associations, while gender and income were largely independent. The majority of respondents supported the preservation of mangroves, even at the expense of economic development.