In Developing Countries the natural capital constitutes about 20% of GDP. However, international environmental agreements requires these countries to conserve these resources irrespective of immediate human preferences. The present study contingent valuation methods is used to assess the preferences of Ghanaian farmers for the Kakum National Park, a microcosm of the National Biodiversity Strategy. The results demonstrate that Ghanaian farmers have strong preferences for the National Biodiversity Strategy. These preferences largely reflect losses households incurred in the form of destruction of crops and property. The findings of the study support the use of distributional weights in evaluating the National Biodiversity Strategy and biodiversity conservation programmes. It is shown that local residents can be partners in biodiversity conservation in developing countries if their preferences are integrated into the design of the National Biodiversity Strategies.
