Status of Natural Resources

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3.1.3 Status of Natural Resources

The survey respondents perceived that the status of natural resources has decreased. As shown in Table 7, a majority of men and women perceived that water has become scarcer and that there has been a decline in fish availability in both 2009 and 2012. However, a larger percentage of men and women agreed with both statements in 2012. A chi-square goodness-of-fit test indicates a significant difference in the proportion of men agreeing with the first two statements. For women there is a significant difference in the first statement between 2009 and 2012 Table 6. This indicates that those living around SANAPA perceive that the status of natural resources has worsened. However, as shown in the last statement, in 2012 more men and women felt that the sea is not their only source of income, indicating that the dependence on marine resources may have gone down. The increased standard of living may perhaps be a result of increased incomes from sources less dependent on natural resources e.g. tourism and small businesses. This finding corresponds with the fact that fewer respondents reported agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture as their main source of income in 2012. Table 6. 2009 and 2012 Opinion Statements About the Status of Natural Resources Statement 2009 Males n 2012 Males n Chi- Square χ 2 Goodnes s of Fit df, n 2009 Females n 2012 Females n Chi- Square χ 2 Goodnes s of Fit df, n Water is becoming more scarce in this area 73.3 148 81.3 169 2,208 = 8.828 p = .003 69.4 163 82.6 166 2,201 = 9.334 p = .009 There has been a decline in fish availability in this village over the past few years 77.9 109 88.2 127 2, 127 = 9.179 p = 0.010 81.9 127 87.5 119 2, 136 = 2.914 p = 0.233 Sometimes there is not enough food to go around and the family goes hungry 85.1 171 93.3 194 2, 208 = 12.978 p = 0.002 81.7 192 93.6 189 2, 202 = 19.313 p .0001 Aside from the sea we have other sources to turn for income 68.4 93 76.9 103 2, 134 = 4.450 p = 0.108 70.4 152 75.0 96 2, 128 = 1.620 p = 0.445 3.2 Public Health 3.2.1