Perceptions on Governance for Effective Adaptation to Climate Change within Community-Based Wildlife Conservancies in Kenya

Community-based wildlife conservancies (CBC) represent a broad spectrum of new management arrangements and benefit sharing partnerships in natural resource management by none state agents, but who, by virtue of their collective location and activities, are critically placed to shape the present and future status of these resources. This approach of wildlife management is increasingly gaining popularity as an option for achieving sustainable co-existence and complementarity between wildlife conservation and livestock production in the drylands of Kenya. Despite difference in ownership and governance structure in place, all conservancies have instituted new rules of control and access. This study sought to understand whether the governance system promoted inclusivity among the various social groups and secondly whether or not the model promotes enhancement of household resilience. Quantitative and Qualitative data based on household surveys, focus groups discussions and Key informants’ interviews were collected in two counties of Samburu and Isiolo and subjected to Q1Macros for descriptive analysis. The CBCs are governed by a board, supported by sub-committees. The board provide leadership and oversight and ensures transparency, adherence to the law, and equitable representation and sharing of revenue. Women representation in the boards recommended, and almost compulsory in Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) supported conservancies. Broadly, household’s social amenities as health facilities, bursaries for school going children, and access to credits have improved under CBC. Movement of livestock between conservancies in search of pastures and water during drought is managed through grazing committees but is not effective during times of prolonged droughts. Traditional system based on the value of reciprocity, is eroding with the creation of new forms of resource management where others may be excluded. Simmering mistrust amongst neighbouring pastoral communities is not in common. Reciprocity for water and pastures within and between communities and within neighbouring Counties must be factored in CBC implementation plan

Analysis of Actors and Activities at Dagoretti Livestock Market in Nairobi City, Kenya

Pastoralism is the main economic activity in the massive drylands of Kenya, consisting over 70% of the countries’ livestock population. It employs 90% of communities living the arid and semi-arid parts of the country. Although few small-scale livestock markets exist in rural pastoral areas, most of the animals end up in the urban markets with peak demand of livestock-based commodities. Dagoretti livestock market, located in Nairobi City (the capital of Kenya) is the largest and terminal market for pastoralist communities countrywide as well as a source of income to various market actors and government revenue. Despite this immense contribution, there is limited scientific information on the market actors, opportunities and challenges encountered at the market, to guide planning, decisions and interventions for sustainable livestock trade in the city of Nairobi. This study was the aim of this study. Data was collected using semi-structured Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (KIIs). A total of 41 KIIs and 4 FGDs were conducted with various market actors. Results show that Dagoretti livestock market is dominated by pastoralists, suppliers of animals for trade; whereby cattle consisted 63.5% of total animals sold, sheep (28.7%) and goats (7.8%). Majority of the animals came from Southern and Northern rangelands of Kenya, 43.02% and 21.68% respectively, with only 9.33% from Uganda and Tanzania. The market attracted a myriad of income opportunities including traders in live animals, brokers, transporters, trekkers, loaders and off-loaders, herders of unsold animals, forage-sellers, veterinary officers, revenue officers, food vendors, cleaners, security guards, branders, butchers, and slaughtered animal value-chains. Main challenges included high taxation barriers, poor infrastructure, lack of incentives, and animal-congestion. There is need for regulatory frameworks supporting livestock trade and incentives to empower market actors, improve efficiency in market operations, and returns to the government and individual actors

Charcoal Value Chain as a Complimentary Livelihood Activity for Pastoralists in the Rangelands

Global charcoal production has more than tripled over the past 50 years from 17.3 million tons in 1964 to 53.1 million tons in 2014. 61% of the present global charcoal production occurs in Africa, mostly to satisfy demand for cooking fuel from urban and peri-urban households. Despite the adverse environmental impacts associated with charcoal production, a significant global population relies on it for energy needs, while many producers depend on it as a livelihood source. Whereas this calls for efforts to promote sustainable charcoal production practices, this has to be informed by in-depth understanding of the charcoal value chain to guide interventions aimed at making it a sustainable economic activity. This study used household interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions to gather data on the practices, actors, prices, and quantities of charcoal traded at different nodes of the value chain in Pokot Central, Kenya. The results revealed over 13 categories of actors who were directly and indirectly involved in the charcoal production and trade. These included tree owners, producers, bulking agents, transporters, brokers, retailers, wholesalers, and law enforcers (police and Kenya Forest Service guards). The findings showed that the producers mainly used traditional kilns. Charcoal trade was mainly dominated by middle traders who determined prices along the value chain, and charcoal prices varied widely from US$4 per 100kg of charcoal at point of production to US$ 20 per 1 kg in urban centres. The higher prices at the urban centres were partly attributed to extra marketing costs associated with illegal fees paid to the law enforcers at road blocks during transportation. These findings point at the need to improve the production efficiency by use of improved kilns, and formalize charcoal trade to ensure standardization of prices and minimize exploitation of producers by brokers as well as corrupt law enforcers

Effects of Post Eviction Resettlement on Land-Use and Cover Change in Uganda’s Oil Exploration Areas

Evaluation of the changes in land use and land cover change (LULCC) in respect to oil exploration across the Albertine region in Uganda has been focused around the exploration areas and protected areas, with no attention to the potential impacts of evictees’ activities on resettled areas. This study used LANDSAT images to analyze the land use and land cover changes (LULCC) among the period before eviction (2002 and 2005) at the climax of eviction and resettlements (2005-2011), and during the post-resettlement period (2011-2015) to quantify the impacts of resettlements on the environment. LANDSAT images were processed using ERDAS IMAGINE software and analyzed using ArcGIS 10.1 to determine LULCC in relation to post-eviction resettlement in the study area. Results from the study indicate. The results of the study indicate that vegetation reduced by 33.08 percent, woodland were converted into settlements by 48 percent while farmlands increased by 18.3 percent. Non vegetated areas increased during resettlements however they reduced five years after eviction which indicated the ability of the ecosystem to stabilize. The study proved that post eviction induced resettlements can yield potential environmental effects to resettled areas. It is important therefore to plan and implement other means of additional source of income and construction materials for evictees to abate vegetation clearance and hence rescue the woodland. The study also recommends maintenance of an optimum population and well-planned pre eviction resettlement schemes

Resource-based conflicts in drought-prone Northwestern Kenya : the drivers and mitigation mechanisms

The theory of “resource scarcity” dominates the debate on “ecoviolence” in pastoral areas, where conflicts among communities have traditionally been linked to competition over scarce resources and invariably drought because of its role in resource depletion. However, the notion that climate change and resultant resource scarcity directly prompt violent conflict has been challenged by the notion that conflict actually coincide with periods of resource abundance. These contesting views point to nondeterministic linkage between resource availability and conflicts and, therefore, the complexity of pastoral conflicts. This is the scenario hypothesized for the vast pastoral areas of Kenya where violent conflict has become a chronic characteristic. While focusing on drought-induced conflicts over grazing resources, this paper takes cognizance of other factors that trigger and perpetuate violent conflicts in arid north-western Kenya. We present an insight on the nature, causes, dynamics and mitigation strategies of conflicts between the Turkana and Pokot pastoralists based on research study focusing on the linkages between resource availability and conflict. The findings suggest that violent conflicts in pastoral areas result from a myriad of socio-cultural, economic and political factors that reinforce one another by limiting availability of, depleting and reducing access to natural resource base. Competition for scarce natural resources triggered by frequent droughts and exacerbated by weak local institutions, proliferation of small firearms, political incitements, unclear property right regimes and cattle-raiding, was considered central to the violent conflicts observed in the area. The authors conclude that developing integrated policies and strengthening local governance institutions that are rooted in traditional practices for managing resources and inter-community conflicts is integral to the solution

Effects of Agroforestry Practices on Soil Properties in the Drylands of Eastern Kenya

Drylands, which are home to about 2 billion people face a myriad of problems among them low land productivity. Agroforestry is one of the land use practices that is perceived to be sustainable with beneficial effects on soil properties. However, the effects of agroforestry practices on soils especially in the drylands have rarely been quantified and studied in details. The study determined the effects of selected agroforestry practices on soil properties in Makueni County of Kenya where agroforestry has been promoted by various organizations. Four soil samples were collected at 0-15cm, 15-30cm, 30-45cm and 45-60cm depths in a zigzag pattern at each 10 x 10m plots established along line transects laid in woodlots established in 2007, 2010 and 2013 and their adjacent parkland and grazing land. Seven randomly selected farms were sampled. The samples were analyzed using laboratory methods for soil nutrients and physical properties. Density of tree species in these established plots were also determined using quadrat technique. Tree density was higher in woodlots followed by grazing area and parkland .Soil samples showed that Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen were significantly higher in the woodlots than in the parkland and grazing lands ((p≤0.05). Soil Organic Carbon was significantly higher in woodlots established in 2007 than those established in 2013. Phosphorus was significantly higher in cropland compared to woodlots and grazing land. Phosphorus and Potassium were significantly higher at 0-15 cm depth compared to other soil depths. Bulky density was significantly higher with a corresponding lower total porosity in grazing lands than in the woodlots and parklands. The results suggest that different agroforestry practices contribute differently to soil properties. Mixed tree woodlots contributed significantly to improving soil properties and could be considered as a strategy to sustainably restore degraded and infertile soils in the drylands

Mapping suitable habitats for globally endangered raptors in Kenya: Integrating climate factors and conservation planning.

Raptors face global threats like electrocution, collisions, and habitat fragmentation. Many species remain understudied, and their distribution patterns are unknown. Understanding their current and future distribution is crucial for conservation. Protecting these top predators requires knowledge of their spatial distribution and environmental influences. This study addresses knowledge gaps in raptor habitats and distributions in Kenya, considering current and future climate changes. Using species distribution models and occurrence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, we evaluated suitable habitats for four endangered Kenyan raptor species: Martial eagle, Secretarybird, Bateleur, and Steppe Eagle. We assessed the impact of climatic predictors on their distribution, considering two climate change scenarios for 2020-2040. Our findings reveal that raptor distribution in Kenya is predominantly concentrated in the southwestern region, extending into the central region of the country. The most significant predictors of raptor species distribution varied for each species, with Steppe eagle and Secretarybird being highly influenced by precipitation during the warmest quarter, Martial eagle being influenced by mean temperature during the driest quarter, and Bateleur being primarily influenced by precipitation during the coldest quarter. When projecting our model into the climate change scenarios for 2020-2040, all species except the Bateleur exhibited a negative range shift. The results of our study suggest that climate change may have adverse impacts on the raptor species examined. In light of these findings, we recommend implementing targeted monitoring and conducting surveys in accordance with our current model predictions. Specifically, our focus should be on monitoring areas that exhibit the highest climate suitability, as these areas are likely to undergo significant shifts in the near future. By conducting regular monitoring and engaging in further research, we can enhance our understanding of these raptor species and gather valuable data to improve the accuracy and reliability of our model predictions

Climate Smart Agriculture and Climate Information Services Training Needs for Kenya

The era of climate change, associated with changes in seasons and rising temperatures, has contributed to the worldwide decline in agricultural productivity despite the increasing global food demand. Addressing food insecurity challenges will require that Africans embrace innovative technologies in agricultural sector. Therefore, the concept of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is timely and slowly gaining considerable traction in Africa. Indeed, the concept of CSA is intended to build resilience in agricultural systems as the local farmers express their needs for adaptation and the possibility of mitigation in agricultural growth strategies to support food security. As indicated by Waaswa et al. (2021) CSA presents the opportunity to meet the world increasing food demands in the face of climate variability, and is responsive to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 13 towards achieving food security and combating climate change. During the meeting involving 21 representatives from nine (9) African countries held in Cotonou, Benin at RUFORUM’s Triennial conference on 12-13th Dec 2021, a review was initiated to provide a baseline information on preferred climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices and existing programmes in institutions of higher learning in the represented countries that included Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Democratic republic of Congo, Benin, Burundi, Uganda, Ghana and Zimbabwe

Economic Valuation of Grazing Management Practices: Discrete Choice Modeling in Pastoral Systems of Kenya

This study estimates the economic contribution of grazing management practices in pastoral systems by specifically undertaking an economic analysis of pastoralists’ preferences for grazing management practices and the economic value pastoralists place on them. The study applied the discrete choice experiment technique using a D-optimal design, a multi-attribute preference elicitation method to evaluate the economic value of grazing management options practiced in pastoral areas of Kenya. The results show that pastoral communities derive positive utility in connected systems that enable reciprocal access to resources in both wet and dry seasons. Pastoralism adapts to spatial–temporal variability of pasture and water through herd mobility; hence the positive utility derived from practices that contribute to the availability of adequate water and pasture across the seasons. These findings provide empirical evidence on the social and economic net benefits of rangeland management practices that should be enhanced to promote sustainable management of rangeland resources

University Climate Curriculum Technical Writeshop for the RUFORUM Curriculum Platform

Tackling the climate crisis means equipping the youth with the knowledge and skills they need to manage climate risk. Universities across Africa have an enormous role to play towards this end. By equipping the next generation of researchers, policymakers, and leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to build resilient societies, education systems represent an important avenue for sustained capacity building beyond project life cycles. Technological innovations and in particular e-Learning platforms such as the RUFORUM Curriculum Platform (Moodle) have been and will continue to be instrumental in expanding access to such information and advancing skills to meet the climate challenge