Browsing by Author "Speelman, S."

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Capturing and explaining preference heterogeneity for wetland management options in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania
(Springer Science+Business Media, 2014) Speelman, S.; Mombo, F.; Vandermeulen, V.; Phillip, D.; Van Huylenbroeck, G.
Wetland degradation has recently received considerable research attention. Although wetlands are valuable ecosystems, their actual value is difﬁcult to measure because the services they provide often do not have market values. The current study seeks to investigate the preferences for wetland management options in the Kilombero Valley, central Tanzania using choice modeling. The results show that both respondents from the Kilombero Valley and Morogoro Municipality desire improvements in the condition of the wetlands. This indicates that the ongoing degradation is not socially optimal. A second ﬁnding is that the preferences for wetland conservation are heterogeneous and can be linked to livelihood characteristics. Communities living in the area, for example, are highly dependent on the wetland for their livelihood and would be impacted by conservation measures. Therefore, in order to reduce the pressure on wetlands, it is necessary and imperative to explore the options for alternative income-generating activities or to focus, for example, on technologies to improve efﬁciency and effectiveness in crop production.
Ratification of the Ramsar convention and sustainable wetlands management: Situation analysis of the Kilombero Valley wetlands in Tanzania
(Academic Journals, 2011) Mombo, F.; Speelman, S.; Huylenbroeck, G. V.; Hella, J.; Pantaleo, M.
In recent years, the Kilombero Valley wetlands in Tanzania was designated and added to the Ramsar convention’s list in an attempt to improve its social, economic and environmental values. This study, carried out in selected sites within the Kilombero Valley wetlands, uses a participatory approach to analyze the existing situation and to reflect upon the quest for sustainable management as defined by Ramsar convention. The empirical findings reveal that the Kilombero Valley wetlands are an important source of livelihood for 87% of the dwellers in the area. Moreover, the wetlands also contribute significantly to welfare outside the area as 70% of the country’s hydropower depends on water regulation functions of this wetland and they are the source of a diverse number of streams, adding to their biological and ecological value. The study furthermore revealed that the current institutional arrangement for the site threaten the sustainability of the wetlands, despite its addition to the Ramsar convention’s list. A more detailed study on appropriate incentive mechanisms for the sustainable management of the wetlands, which would help to internalize the negative effects created by the users, is recommended.
Scope for introducing payments for ecosystem services as a strategy to reduce deforestation in the Kilombero wetlands catchment area
(2013) Mombo, F.; Lusambo, L.; Speelman, S.; Buysse, J; Munishi, P.; Huylenbroeck, G . V.
Payment for Environmental or Ecosystem Services (PES) is among the tools for managing degraded ecosystems and their associated ecological and economic services. Wetlands are an important type of ecosystem, which are highly degradable and accordingly PES become relevant for the sustainable management of wetlands. In Tanzania deforestation in catchment forests has affected many wetlands so much that they cannot adequately contribute to quantity and quality supply of water throughout the year. This study uses consumption surveys and choice modelling to examine the values attached by communities in and around Kilombero Valley to the conservation of catchment trees as compared to the market price value of wood used for timber products in the wetlands. Results show that although conservation preference is generally positive among both rural and urban communities for the trees, the Willingness to Pay (WTP) for the rural dwellers is in proportion to approximately less than 1% of what they receive from the market. Again, the WTP for the rural communities is three times lower than that of the urban communities. These findings are important to policy makers and conservationists in making informed economic decisions on how PES schemes can be used to enhance sustainable management of wetlands