Quantification of intangible forest ecosystem services in eastern arc mountains of Tanzania
2025
Mombo,F | Kitasho,N | Kishimbo,L | Bigirwa,D
Journal Article
Show more [+] Less [-]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
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Bibliographic information
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