Volume 14, August 2015, Pages 1–11
Highlights
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- We analyze economic trade-offs concerning a unique forest ecosystem in Kenya.
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- We compare local economic benefits and forgone returns from farming activities.
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- Conservation of this forest is justified by the unknown value of its biodiversity.
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- There is need for an integrated strategy to manage this forest for multiple uses.
Abstract
Ecosystem
services provided by tropical forests are becoming scarcer due to
continued deforestation as demand for forest benefits increases with the
growing population. There is need for comprehensive valuation of key
ecosystem services in order to inform policy and implement better
management systems to enhance the supply of ecosystem services. This
study estimates local economic value of key ecosystem services provided
by Kakamega rainforest and examines how the information can support
sustainable forest management in Kenya. This is the only rainforest in
Kenya and it has exceptional biodiversity value including several unique
species not found anywhere else in the country. Kakamega rainforest
also provides a classic case of conflict between conservation and
exploitation goals given the dense population around it. We carried out
elaborate household and visitors surveys to collect data used to
estimate the economic value of three main ecosystem services. We
estimated the total economic value of key ecosystem services (excluding
biodiversity value) at about US$ 7.4 million per year or US$ 415 ha−1 yr−1.
The local economic benefits are considerably less than forgone returns
from agricultural activities if the forest were to be converted to the
best agricultural uses. Arguably, continued protection of this forest is
justified on the basis of the unknown value of its rich biodiversity
and capacity to sequester CO2. Empirical findings show that
the existing forest management system was less effective due to resource
constraints and institutional weaknesses. Our study provides insights
for the need to manage this forest for multiple uses. We recommend an
integrated management strategy that balances local resource needs with
biodiversity conservation. We suggest that improved stakeholder
collaboration can facilitate sustainable management of this forest
resource. Besides, carefully crafted payment for ecosystem services
mechanisms and broad environmental education programs can support
sustainable forest conservation for this and other similar forest
ecosystems in Africa.
Keywords
- Biodiversity conservation;
- Economic valuation;
- Ecosystem services;
- Kakamega rainforest
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
