Economic evaluation of urban greenspace ecosystem services :

Abstract

The constitutional square is one of the urban green spaces in Uganda. The aim of the study was to determine the economic value of urban green spaces in Kampala City. The specific objectives were to: identify the various ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces in Kampala city, quantify the ecosystem services provided by the urban green spaces and attach monetary value to the urban green spaces in Kampala city. The study adopted a survey design and data were collected using questionnaires. Data were managed using SPSS Software and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings reveal that most people who visit the Constitutional Square have knowledge about green space ecosystem services and are willing to pay for the ecosystem services particularly shade, fresh air, and space for leisure, meeting place and scenic beauty. The total annual monetary value of the ecosystem services provided by the Constitutional Square is 96,726,000,000shs. The study recommends that Kampala Capital City Authority should conserve the green spaces to ensure provision of the ecosystem services.