Nature’s Benefi ts in Kenya: An Atlas of Ecosystems and
Human Well-Being is the result of a multi-partner effort
in Kenya including contributions from the following
collaborators: World Resources Institute (WRI);
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI);
Department of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing
(DRSRS) at the Ministry of Environment and Natural
Resources, Kenya; and the Poverty Analysis and
Research Unit at the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS)
at the Ministry of Planning and National Development,
Kenya.
The atlas demonstrates the importance of using maps
as an analytical tool to analyze the spatial distribution
of poverty and ecosystem services in Kenya. Ecosystem
services are the benefi ts people derive from ecosystems
and include goods (food and water), services (fl ood and
disease control), and non-material benefi ts (spiritual
and recreational benefi ts). Using existing data, the
atlas provides maps of areas in Kenya important for
production of selected ecosystem services such as
water (hydropower, access to drinking water, irrigation
water), food (crop and livestock), fuel, biodiversity
and tourism. The atlas also integrates high-resolution
poverty data from Kenya’s most recent census and
household surveys with these ecosystem services.