Gender awareness and perception on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Taytay, Palawan, Philippines

Marine Protected Area (MPA) is a recognized tool for conservation and fisheries management. In the Philippines, there are around 1,800 locally-managed MPAs and 155 are in Palawan. However, gender knowledge and perceptions on their impacts on communities and the environment are poorly documented. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the gender awareness and perception on MPAs' functions, benefits, and status of coastal communities in Taytay, Palawan, Philippines. The sociodemographics of the respondents and their effects on perceptions were also investigated. There were 401 respondents but only 108 were considered for analysis after data cleaning. About 60% are men and 40% are women. A total of 16 questions on MPA awareness and perceptions were asked during the interview that utilized KoboToolBox. The data were analyzed using General Linear Model, and Principal Component Analysis. Results showed that awareness varied between genders with men being more aware of the existence of MPAs (82%) and its programs (72%). However, both have almost the same level of perception on benefits from MPAs. Men and women perceived MPAs to have helped in conservation like improving biodiversity, but not on providing direct economic benefits such as an increase in catch and income. These indicate that their perceptions on MPAs were generally theoretical, rather than actual. Further, men's perceptions were significantly affected by age and ethnicity while women's perceptions were not affected by any of their socio-demographics.