Use and protection of ecosystem services of the Kaya Kambe (Kenya): Hypothesis testing with contingency table analysis of survey data

Abstract Kaya forests of the Mijikenda community in Kenya have been preserved to this day because of their cultural ecosystem services but are exposed to strong land-use pressures due to a growing population living in poverty. Using a questionnaire, data on the human-environment relationship was collected through standardised interviews (N = 340) and statistically analysed using cross-tabulations based on hypotheses. This allowed significant correlations to be established between the willingness to protect the Kaya and the assessment of the personal benefits of protection. However, the lack of involvement of the local population in conservation strategies in particular contributes to the need for further recommendations for action for the appropriate management of the kaya. Accordingly, measures for the sustainable protection of the kaya are derived from the results of this study.