Structured decision-making shows broad support from diverse stakeholders for habitat conservation and restoration in Kenya's Central Highlands
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The need for targeted restoration in regions where ecosystem integrity has become compromised is now widely recognised. Local community views, alongside those of other stakeholders, should be incorporated into transparent decision-making to ensure conservation/restoration activities are successful. We used a structured decision-making approach, working with stakeholders and local communities, to pose and answer the following question for Kenya’s Central Highlands: “what future land-use options [2030] are feasible for the study region, which is most preferable, how does this vary between different stakeholder groups, and what values drive these preferences?”. We engaged with 51 individuals from six stakeholder groups (Big Farms, Conservationists, Counties, Forest Users, Pastoralists, Smallholders). As individuals, the stakeholders held significantly different values for provisioning, cultural, regulation and maintenance ecosystem services. However, following consensus-building activities within the six groups, shared values and perspectives emerged. The future land-use option of habitat conservation/restoration was preferred by the majority of stakeholder groups, although one (Big Farms) favoured increased plantation forestry. Water resource management was also prioritised consistently. By using structured decision-making, we demonstrate that ecosystem restoration is compatible with the views and values of smallholders and forest users, as well as those with a direct interest in conservation. Structured decision-making processes can facilitate stakeholders with disparate views to work towards a consensus regarding future land-use options, aiding environmental planning and implementation.
Date Issued
2024-12-01
Date Acceptance
2024-09-10
Citation
Land Use Policy: the international journal covering all aspects of land use, 2024, 147
ISSN
0264-8377
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Land Use Policy: the international journal covering all aspects of land use
Volume
147
Copyright Statement
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Subjects
CLIMATE-CHANGE
Connectivity
Ecosystem services
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Environmental Studies
IMPACT
Kenya
LAIKIPIA
LAND-USE
Land-use change
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Local communities
MT. KENYA
Multi-criteria decision analysis
PERCEPTIONS
Science & Technology
SHORTFALLS
TOOL
TRENDS
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 107364
Date Publish Online
2024-09-23