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

7.0 THE INCENTIVES/DISINCENTIVES FOR CONSERVATION ANDMANAGEMENT OF THE FOREST BLOCKS7.1 Incentives for Community Participation in Management of ForestsRecent studies have shown that individuals with large natural forests on their farms inNarok and Marakwet districts continue to replace them with profitable alternative landuses till such a time that the forests accrue benefits that can exceed the competing landuses (Langat and Cheboiwo, 2010). This has been the case despite using such forests forgrazing, firewood, and charcoal and timber extraction both for domestic use and sale.Since the main drivers of degradation in these forests are the local people, somepackage of incentives that will guarantee their livelihoods and motivate them toparticipate in their conservation and management will be one of the best options toconsider. Thus payment for environmental services and access to direct use of forestproducts and services is an opportunity that the government and other agencies can useto motivate communities to participate in forest conservation.Promotion of Sustainable Extraction of Forests ProductsCommunities living adjacent to the forests experience high levels of poverty,employment opportunities are scarce and the people have small land pieces that makethem exploit the various forest resources for subsistence and income generation. Suchpeople, despite stringent policing, may not forfeit such privileges easily, but will remaina feature in the forest management for a long time. These include access to firewood,grazing rights, water, medicine and grass. To ensure sustainable extraction of theseproducts use of existing structures such community forest associations to prepare rulesas provided by the Forest Act 2005 to limit extraction to agreed quotas that will notcompromise the ability of the forests to generate expected goods and services asoutlined in their management objectives. This will require capacity building to enablethe local communities, the associations and KFS work together to manage suchextractions under their joint supervision. The structures and procedures are providedfor in the Forest Act 2005. They need trial operationalization along the borders of thethree forest blocks. Experience has shown that access to specific products has providedsufficient economic incentives for communities to participate in conservation of forests;efforts must therefore include additional measures aimed at making sure that adequate63