Willingness to pay for Nairobi National Park: An application of discrete choice experiment

Nairobi National Park is a protected ecosystem where various types of wildlife find hiding place. The park has in the recent past experienced destruction through construction of a standard gauge railway (SGR) line and a highway called the Southern bypass. These developments raise concern with the possibility that their combined environmental cost being enormous. This study sought to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for the restoration of the park attributes using discrete choice experiment. The focus was on the attributes of (1) wildlife population and diversity of species, (2) wildlife movement in dispersion and migration areas, (3) vegetation density and diversity, (4) security of wildlife and people, and (5) environmental safety and quality. The data used was collected from 93 students of Kisii University, Nairobi campus. A price attribute in form of an increase in gate fee was included to elicit WTP estimates. Multinomial logit regression estimates indicated that respondents were WTP for the restoration of all the attributes except attribute 4. Attributes 1 and 2 elicited the highest WTP and could be the most affected by the two projects. Middle-aged respondents with stable jobs were likely to pay more for the restoration of the attributes compared to students and the youth. Based on the findings, the government could consider relocating the park to a place with better environmental attributes. Key words: Nairobi National Park, ecosystem, discrete choice experiment, willingness to pay, park attributes, Multinomial logit.