摘要：Wetlands such as the Yala swamp in Kenya are among the most important and increasinglythreatened ecosystems globally due to their ecological significance and complexity, and theimportance of the ecosystem services (ES) they provide to wetland communities. Appropriategovernance and management of wetlands thus require the use of interdisciplinary tools thattake into account both ecological and social considerations. This study used the matrix modelcombining social preferences with GIS-based maps of land use/land cover (LULC) to analysethe capacity of the Yala swamp to supply ES (flows). We engaged a total of 132 participantswho manage and use natural resources in the wetland through a participatory process toidentify ES, map LULC, and score the flow of ES on a scale of 0 to 5 using the matrix model.We also analysed the impacts of stakeholder characteristics (gender, environmental expertise,and location) on the scoring of the matrix. Results showed high average scores (score of 4) fortrees and shrubs, papyrus, and water bodies across a range of provisioning, regulating andcultural services. The study found that gender and location had little influence on therespondents’ scores, while environmental conservation experts provided scores significantlyhigher than local resource users (farmers/fishermen) across the ES types. Overall, the studycontributes to understanding: 1) the importance of linking LULC with ES provision to informlandscape management and 2) the need to incorporate a range of stakeholder perspectives instudies making use of expert knowledge and preferences, for inclusive management.
