Publisher :
Place of publication :
Publication year : 0
Thematic : Ecological Economics
Language : English
Note
A contingent valuation study was conducted
with adult Kenyan citizens and foreign tourists to estimate
the value of recreational benefits arising from coral reefs at
Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve (MMNPR),
and to assess the implications for local reef management.
Citizen and foreign visitors to MMNPR were willing to pay
an extra $2.2 (median = $1.6) and $8 (median = $6.7) per
visit respectively, in addition to current park entrance fees,
to support reef quality improvements. By aggregating
visitors’ willingness to pay bids over the number of visitors
to MMNPR in 2006–2007 the value of benefits was estimated
at $346,733, which was more than twice the total
annual operational expenditure of $152,383 for MMNPR.
The findings indicate that annual revenues from citizen and
foreign visitors may be increased by 60% to $261,932
through the implementation of proposed higher park fees of
$3.10 for citizens and $15 for foreign visitors. However,
any fee increase would serve to intensify concerns among
citizens that only relatively affluent Kenyans can afford to
visit MMNPR. Park managers need to demonstrate that the
extra revenue would be used to fund the proposed conservation
activities. This valuation study demonstrates that
visitors are prepared to pay higher user fees for access to
the marine protected area revealing considerable untapped
resource to finance reef quality improvements.
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Keywords : Megaerops wetmorei
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
