Influence of Economic Activities of the Host Community and Community-Based Ecotourism Forest Management Models on the Conservation of Masaai Mau Forest, Kenya

Abstract

There has been a decline in forest cover of about 5,000 hectares per annum in Kenya leading to an annual reduction in water availability of approximately 62 million m³, translating to an economic loss to the economy of over USD 19 million. During the last decade, the Mau Forest has lost 25 percent of its forest covers. It is however unknown whether this depletion is based on economic activities of the host communities like charcoal and timber production. Additionally, information with regard to the influence of forest management models comprising host communities on the conservation of Masaai Mau Forest is limited. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of economic activities of host communities and forest management model on the conservation of Masaai Mau Forest in Kenya. Specific objectives were to establish: the influence of charcoal production, assess the influence of timber production, examine the influence of non-timber product (NTP) production, and to determine how forest management models influence conservation of the Masaai Mau Forest. Target population comprised of 15 Government agencies; 71 community-based tourism organizations (CBTOs); 847 hotels and restaurant service providers, and 29 tour and travels operators (N=962). Bartlett, Kotrlik and Higgins' (2001) formula was adopted to obtain a sample size of 384 stakeholders: six Government agencies; 28 CBTOs; 338 hotels and restaurant service providers; and 29 travel and tour operators. Structured questionnaires were administered on the sampled CBTOs and hotels and restaurant service providers; interviews were done with the government agencies, while Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 12 travel and tour operators in the area. Reliability coefficient of 0.859 was obtained for all the variables. Findings revealed that charcoal production (B=-.428, p=0.000), timber production (B=.601, p=0.000), and production of NTP (B=1.188, p=0.000) all have significant influence on forest conservation, with an overall influence of 79% (R² =0.793). There was also a positive association between conservation concerns of the Maasai Mau Forest and the preference for community based ecotourism model (0.169=V=0.280) by the host community. It is recommended that charcoal production should be sufficiently controlled through income generating models involving the host communities.