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

The role of the Mara Basin in tourism and wildlife support was estimated using thewillingness to pay by tourists estimated using the travel cost method as the expenditureof touring the game reserves that are supported by the forest blocks. The SerengetiNational Park receives up to 130,000 tourists a year paying US$ 6 million in gatecharges (TSB, 2000). With about 20% of these guests staying in the park for one or morenights and each spending each US$ 200, 3 an additional US$ 5,200,000 accrues tohoteliers and other facilitators including the cottage industries.The Kenyan part of the Mara Basin houses the Mara National Reserve with about 80hotels, mostly used by tourists (see Appendix 7). The total bed capacity of the hotels is3,466 with an occupancy rate of about 56% (if we assume the hotel bed occupancy ofabout 56%, the same as that reported for Serengeti; see Appendix 7; URT, 2001). Thus,on average, 1,941 visitors spend the one or more nights in the Mara National Reservespending about US$ 200 per day. The cumulated earnings at the Mara spent by 708,450tourists who spend the night in the Kenyan hotels are US$ 141 million. Another KES 650million (US$ 8,666,667) is collected as gate charges to the reserve.The total value of the forest blocks did not include extra benefits that accrue from theEastern part of the forest in influencing tourism activities at the Lake Nakuru and LakeNaivasha national parks.3.6 Values of Forest BiodiversityUsing the benefit transfer method, the option value for the rich flora and fauna wasestimated using the benefit transfer method. Using the value of US$ 10/ha by assuminga medium biodiversity compared with the South American forests, the forest blocks arevalued at KES 109.8 million (US$ 1,464,000).3.7 Valuation of Forest for Carbon SequestrationThe three forest blocks provide two dimensions in carbon storage: (i) the amount ofcarbon stored in the standing forest (carbon balance); and (ii) the carbon sequestered ina growing forest. The carbon stored in the standing forests would be lost if the trees arelogged. Carbon markets have existed since 1989 and refer to the sums of money that3 According to Tanzania tourism ministry, the average daily expenditure per tourist has been increasing over time.For example, in 1991 the average expenditure per day was US$ 72.42 which increased to US$ 152.00 in 1999.Based on this trend and from information obtained through interaction with key informers, we assumed thattourists spend US$ 200 per day at the Serengeti or the Maasai Mara.37