Quantification of intangible forest ecosystem services in eastern arc mountains of Tanzania
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Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation
Abstract
Lack of recognition of the economic value
of intangible forest ecosystem services has
contributed to the ongoing degradation of
forest resources in Tanzania. This study
employed a choice experiment method to
estimate the economic values of such
services provided by the Udzungwa Scarp,
Chome, and Uluguru Nature Forest
Reserves in the Eastern Arc Mountains, by
assessing households’ willingness to pay
(WTP). The services valued include
protection of water sources, soil
conservation, biodiversity conservation,
climate regulation, and the provision of
recreational and landscaping amenities. A
simple random sampling technique was
used to select 352 households from five
districts: Same, Mvomero, Morogoro Rural,
Kilolo, and Mufindi. Data were analyzed
using a conditional logit model. The pooled
analysis from the three reserves revealed
that the estimated marginal WTP per month
was TZS 597.40 for biodiversity
conservation, TZS 1,898.49 for water
source protection, and TZS 2,874.08 for soil
conservation. Collectively, these services
were valued at approximately TZS 22.68
million annually by all sampled households.
To minimize the degradation of forest
resources in the Eastern Arc Mountains
region, this study recommends that
policymakers incorporate the estimated
economic values into forest conservation
decisions, ensuring that beneficiaries of
these services contribute to their protection
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Economic valuation, Willingness to pay, Forest conservation, Forest nature reserves, Choice experiment method