| dc.description.abstract | Yala wetland is one of the major wetlands in Kenya that not only
supports a huge species of ecosystem, but also acts as a reservoir to
Lake Victoria fisheries. Also, the swamp supports livelihood of the
community by the economic activities they engage in. There have been
efforts to convert the swamp into a large-scale commercial agricultural
activity, the recent one being leasing the wetland to Dominion Farms
Limited. This has led to disruptions of the local communities’ lifestyle
through relocation from their homes and destruction of the ecological
ecosystem. The heavy agricultural use is also likely to threaten the
fisheries in the swamp and those of Lake Victoria, which rely on the
swamp as a breeding ground. With the swamp destruction likely to
go on with expansion of the Dominion farm activities, it is necessary to
establish whether converting the use of the wetland is viable and more
beneficial than conserving it. This study evaluates the change in the Total Economic Value (TEV)
of Yala wetland as a result of degradation by identifying the type of
existing resources, their use values and importance in people’s every day
life. The main objective of valuing wetland resources is to identify their
uses, hence their importance to the livelihoods of communities as well
as their environmental and functional usefulness. Economic valuation
helps in avoiding the loss of environmental resources, especially those
with irreversible outcomes. This assists in managing their sustainable
use and in making conservation decisions... | en |
