Community Led Actions in Biodiversity Conservation

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Community Led Actions in Biodiversity
Conservation for improved livelihoods The Case
of Kikuyu Escarpment Forests. By David Kuria,
Co-ordinator Kijabe Environment Volunteers,
(KENVO) Dec 2006
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• Background
• The Kikuyu Escarpment Forest is part of the much
  famed Aberdare Forests on the Southern. Has an
  area cover of over 38,000 hectares. It is managed
  by forest Department through seven forest block
  namely
• Ragia forest station
• Kieni
• Kamae
• Kinale
• Kereita
• Uplands
• Kijabe strip

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• Importance of the forest
• It is a very important biodiversity area with
  rare species both plant and animals including
  avifauna.
• It is now a considered as an Important Birds Area
  (holds globally and regionally threatened Birds).
• An important community asset with many different
  uses
• Herbal medicines and wild fruits
• Domestic use (fuelwood, folder crop etc).
• Very significant for research and tourism
  activities.
• An important catchment site
• Contributes to national economy
• Has a historical significant (sacred and freedom
  struggle)

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Local forest uses and importance
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• Fauna and avifauna
• Fauna
• Elephants ( only 50 Km from Nairobi)
• Leopards
• Colobus and Sykes monkeys
• Small animals like mongoose, civets and small
  cats, antelopes
• Avifauna
• 138 species of birds Recorded
• 31 forest specialists
• 20 are considered rare

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• Stronghold for the globally threatened abbotts
  starling
• Restricted range species like Jackson francolin
  and Hunters cisticola.
• Significant numbers of regionally threatened
  species
• African green ibis
• Ayres hawk eagle
• Crowned hawk eagle
• Red-chested owlet
• Breeding ground for three (near endemic species
  of butterflies namely Charaxes nandina, Neptis
  kikuyuensis and Neptis katama

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Common trees

• Has more one hundred species of trees among the
  being
• Ocotea Usambarensis
• Pordocarpus lafifolia
• Prunus africana
• Macaranga Kilimandscharica
• Olea species
• Tabanaemontana Stafiana
• Aningeria adolfi-friedericii among many others

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Examples of species available
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• Conservation issues
• High population and small farming
  holdings-demands for forest products
• Illegal logging for charcoal and timber
  production
• areas)
• Commercial fuelwood harvesting
• Other minor activities that could be future
  threats
• Debarking
• Grazing
• Weaving

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• Why forest loss?
• Mismanagement and corruption
• Lack of required information (awareness)
• Ignorance (Infinite resource)
• Poor recognition of community efforts
• Poor balancing between conservation and
  livelihoods
• Economy dictating over conservation
• Poor government policies on forest management
  (conflicting and non cohesive)

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• Community lead activities (special focus to
  KENVO)
• Realisation of the dangers posed by the forest
  destruction
• No immediate government attention to the local
  problems (no jobs for young people)
• Need to improve local livelihoods
• Society responsibility
• Needed to do something for the community
• Bringing community people together

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• Activities (Stopping Destruction !)
• Environmental education and awareness (
  Community workshops, public meetings,
  participating in national/ international events,
  forest and birdwalks)
• Networking and information exchange
• Research and surveys
• Rehabilitation Programme (growing of trees
  nursery
• Regular forest monitoring
• Formation of community committee
• Alternatives (Bee keeping, sale of seedlings and
  eco-tourism in process)

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Conservation efforts by local community
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Communities efforts contd
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• Are there achievements?
• Projects acceptance by the community
• Working relations with government and other
  stakeholders improved
• Research skills improved for young people
• Small incomes generating activities in place
• Agroforesrty and on farm forest promoted
• Establishment of environmental committees
• Development of local partnerships( FD and Agri)
• Links with international organisations
• More than 40 hectares rehabilitated

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• Problems encountered
• Inaccessibility of the area
• Poor understanding of conservation and farming
  methods by both members and community
• Lack of resources
• Inadequate technical skills
• High expectations by the community
• Cultural barriers

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• Lessons learned
• Balance conservation needs and local livelihoods
• Community needs adequate support and
• recognition of their contribution
• Active communities participation is essential
• Community mobilisation for biodiversity
• conservation is possible
• Local communities support projects with direct
  benefits and incentives to their daily lives
  e.g. improved agricultural practices andwater
  harvesting etc
• A poor community does not care whether a
  species is being lost or not however important it
  is, while on other hand a species or habitat
  cant co-exist with a hostile community

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Many Thanks for listening to me. And you all
welcome to visit our site.