The Values Of Ecosystem Services Inside And Outside Of Protected Areas In Eastern And Southern Africa
European Commission Joint Research Centre
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Abstract: This study analyzes 561 ecosystem service valuations from the ESVD across 6 countries?Kenya, Botswana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda?comparing services in protected and unprotected areas. It finds provisioning services like food and water often exceed recreational values and are mostly concentrated outside parks. The research models 12 service types using GLMM methods and log-linked Gamma distributions. Results challenge the assumption that protected areas always yield higher service values, emphasizing demographic demand as a critical factor. The paper recommends landscape-wide valuation and policy that accounts for rural community use, marginal value of services, and cross-border ecological dynamics. Data visualizations depict comparative value flows and empirical modeling tables. The study supports improved valuation metrics for conservation planning and ecosystem tradeoff analysis.