Total Economic Value of Maasai Mau, Trans Mara and Eastern Mau ...

with interest ranging from the impact of deforestation on biodiversity and climatechange to the aesthetic value of a forested landscape. Such interest groups would like tosee the forests maintained or enhanced such that the stream of values can be sustained.Many environmentalists consider that such values cannot be satisfactorily reflected ineconomic or monetary terms. Indeed they argue that placing economic values on forestsalways under-estimates their true value.Defining the role of the forest for biodiversity conservation is a complex exercisebecause of uncertainties about just how many species actually exist and thedocumentation of the role of each of the species in serving the present and the futurehumankind. Moreover, species diversity is one, albeit convenient, indicator of overallbiological diversity. The documentation of each of the mammals, insects, plants etc.present in the Mau complex is yet to be documented.Biodiversity is the natural assets of the country with potential to provide a wide rangeof goods and services, including phamaceutical products, cultural, research andtraining opportunities for the benefit of humankind. The value of known information istherefore only a par, of the total value of the information stock. Retaining the stock inthe event that it will be useful later represents an ‘option value’ for the known element,and a ‘quasi option value’ for the currently unknown element.Agricultural crops become vulnerable to pests and genetic erosion that affect theirproductivity capacity mainly because their genetic make-up is based on very few plantfamilies. This is because 80% of research and development (R&D) studies are based oncommercial cultivars as compared 6.5% that are on relatively unknown species. Thoughthe R&D based on unknown species appears small but if we assume that new researchon the species is initiated every three years, then it means that the germplasm of thesespecies in the forest will drop by 6.5% every three years, an alarming situation. Itreinforces why as much biodiversity as possible should be maintained to keep abreastwith demand from R&D institutions.Biodiversity is also relied upon to maintain the agricultural system where germplasm isestimated to be lost at the rate of 8% per year. The forest values arise from the potentialof some of the forest products attaining commercial value because their uses arediscovered, e.g. if currently unused species might combat some new disease or existinghealth problem more effectively. Forests thus tend to have some existence value, i.e.value that people place on forest existence independent of the values of particular uses.21