Nairobi National Park is unable to incorporate the spatial and temporal dynamics of
many migratory mammals that rely on the area as a dry season refuge because of its
small size. During the wet season, wildlife must be able to migrate to the south into
the Kitengela dispersal area. This area is privately owned and rapidly undergoing
land use change that affects the structure and function of the dispersal corridors,
jeopardizing the ecological sustainability of the Park. Private land holders in
Kitengela incur most of the costs of keeping the dispersal areas open, but do not
receive any compensation or revenue from benefits derived from tourism in the Park.
Here we present an analysis of the willingness to pay of Nairobi and Kitengela
residents for a new land management scheme in the dispersal area in which local
pastoralists leave their land open to wildlife and by not engaging in fencing, land
subdivision or poaching activities, and receive monetary compensation for the
incremental costs derived of the use of their properties as a wildlife dispersal area.
The results of the study suggest that the aggregated financial support of urban
residents’ might represent around USD 1.2 million per year for five years. This
amount exceeds the economic losses caused by wildlife in the dispersal area and
different financial schemes of funds investment and the prioritization of conservation
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regions could be implemented to ensure payments and keep the dispersal corridor
open in perpetuity.