Abstract:
A Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was adopted to elicit monetary values of
ecosystem services among sampled households in Taita Hills, Kenya and Mount
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The aim was to find out the amount of money the households are
willing to accept as compensation every year to trade-off between conservation of
ecosystems and the ongoing destructive socio-economic activities taking place in the
areas; and how it differs along the altitudinal gradient and across users groups. Multi-stage
and simple random sampling techniques were used to select respondents in the two study
areas. Data were collected from 352 respondents through interviews using a structured
questionnaire. Findings showed that mean Willingness to Accept (WTA) compensation in
Mount Kilimanjaro were USD 128.72, 195.74 and 223.90 per household per year for low,
mid and highland areas respectively. Mean WTA compensation in Taita Hills were USD
217.2, 310.97 and 429.84 per household per year for low, mid and highland areas
respectively. Female headed households had a relatively higher mean WTA (USD 267.78
per household per year) as compared to male headed households (USD 234.79 per
household per year). Household size, age and environmental income of the head of
household were the significant predictors at 5% level of significant as determined by the
multiple regression analysis. It can be concluded from this study that, households residing
at highlands have a relative higher mean WTA payments as compared to their adjacent
lowland households. Female, headed households had as well higher mean WTA payments
as compared to male headed households. The study, therefore, recommends that PES
schemes should be tailored to meet unique requirements of the different user groups along
the altitudinal gradient and address their specific constraints.
