Deforestation in Kenya

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Kakamega rain forest located in Nandi county, Kenya

Kenya's forests are fragmented across the country. Combined, forests cover over 37 million hectares.

Kenya's independence in 1963, the forest cover has dropped from 10% of the nation to 6%, losing approximately 12,000 hectares annually.[3] These levels of deforestation have impacted Kenya as they rely on the forest for the storage of rainwater, the prevention of flooding, the fertility of the soil, and the regulation of climate conditions. The World War II period and its aftermath made it clear to British colonial administration that reform was needed to sustain Kenyan forests. One of the first steps for conservation took place with the 1941 revision of the Forest Ordinance that passed legislation to create forest reserves and create a committee with professionals on matters of conservation.[4] By 1950, the forest department had gained control of 100,000 acres, but it had a difficult time sustaining the conservation of these areas; it required meaningful policy to meet the constant attention these areas needed.[4]

As the

independence of Kenya approached, its forest continued to degrade in part due to the land demand from the growing population. By the beginning of the 19th century, the population in Kenya stood at 1,7 million, which increased to 8.5 million by 1962.[4] The desired land that could be used for farming was in the forests; thus, deforestation increased. Demand for wood fuel increased in urban areas such as Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.[4] After Kenya gained its independence in 1963, the efforts to resolve deforestation continued but fell short. Some of the methods taken during the period included the recruitment of Canadian and British experts to manage the forest. The Canadian Overseas Assistance Programme assisted Kenya by training its foresters and provided a 5-week tour in Canadian forests to Kenyan conservators, as both share the timber industry.[4]

Contemporary causes

For the last two decades, the challenges Kenyan Forest faces are still similar to its long history of deforestation. Some of the current drivers that are increasing deforestation categorize into technological, economic, and cultural types. The drivers that are qualified as technological are mostly the lack of knowledge about the impacts of deforestation and the lack of appropriate technology required for three growing.[5]  The economic drivers are poverty leading to reliance on charcoal fuel and the usage of woodland for crops.[5] As for the cultural challenges, one can classify the usage of fire for land clearing and the inability to control these fires.[5]

Agricultural expansion continues to impact the Mau forest in Kenya. The area experiences massive deforestation to grow commercial tea and wheat.[5] The forest of Migori and more western areas use the land for sugar, while forest in areas in Nyanza is used for tobacco. [5] Wood extraction also contributes to deforestation, but data has been systematically not collected by the Kenya Forest Service and the Ministry of Energy to prevent it from stopping.[5] Most of the deforestation by wood extraction occurs in the dry woodlands of the coast, while wood extraction for charcoal and fuel occurs on locations nearby metropolitan areas where the demand exists. [5] Another factor that contributes to the deforestation in Kenya is infrastructural developments. Roads, railways, and dams lead to deforestation as they create new settlements that cause a demand in land and resources from the forested areas.[5]

Measured rates of deforestation

During the last two decades of the 21st century, Kenya's rate of deforestation has remained consistent. The first decade of the century experienced 2,914.55 hectares in a primary forest lost and 19,401 hectares lost in tree cover while the second decade of the century has experienced a total of 2,099.74 hectares lost in primary forest and 17,167 hectares lost in tree cover.[6]

Year[6] Primary Forest Lost (Ha) Tree Cover Lost (Ha)
2002 2,974 20,399
2003 1,568 13,621
2004 2,974 17,053
2005 1,703 17,053
2006 3,340 20,743
2007 3,440 26,213
2008 1,887 19,296
2009 1,596 17,750
2010 6,749 22,770
2011 1,410 17,364
2012 1,664 17,977
2013 1,623 13,622
2014 1,210 15,404
2015 3,055 15,654
2016 2,052 19,114
2017 3,134 22,235
2018 2,649 15,965

Impacts

Lake Naivasha, Kenya

The impact of deforestation in the Kenyan water has been one of the most notorious; This is present in lake Naivasha and its surrounding communities. Lake Naivasha, located west of Nairobi, receives its water from the Aberdare Range where the rivers and streams that originate in the mountains are the source of water in the lakes.[7] The forest in the Aberdares mountains traps moisture and keeps temperatures cool, provides cloud cover, and creates the rainfall that feeds the streams and rivers.[7] The high levels of deforestation in the area have interrupted this natural cycle and affected several lakes such as Naivasha. With many trees in the Aberdares mountains gone, the forest is no longer trapping moisture or creating rainfall; thus, the water levels in Lake Naivasha have decreased.[7] The scarcity of water has directly impacted flora and fauna of the region and also impacted local communities whose source of water is lakes such as Naivasha.[7]

Western Kenyan highlands located in Kericho

Deforestation in Kenya, specifically in the Mara river basin, has also caused soil erosion and an increase in flooding.[8] Deforestation increases land erosion because forests help hold in place essential nutrients in the soil.[8] From the early ’70s to the early 2000s, the savannah, grassland, and shrub-land in the Mara river basin have decreased by 27% in part due to agricultural land usages doubling during the same period.[8] As a result, land erosion has increased in the upper catchment area while lower areas have experienced an increase in flood by 7% and a 387% increase in Mara wetland during the same period that deforestation increased.[8]

The high rates of deforestation have increased temperatures in Kenya, thus also increasing the likelihood of malaria transmission. Deforestation rates in western Kenyan highlands directly affect the temperature in the area and alter the larval habitat, thus increasing their chances of survival and development.[9] Deforested areas in western Kenyan highlands have increased in temperature by  0.5 °C in 10 months while the average temperature of houses in the area has increased 1.8 and 1.2 °C during the same period.[9] Additionally, the deforested areas are used for Maize cultivation in which larvae can feed and, as a result, grow into more significant adults and increase the likelihood of transmission.[9] These conditions directly doubled rates of malaria mosquitos in Kenya from 0.22 to 0.33 and during the rainy season from 0.1 to 0.12, representing a 50% increase in the dry season and a 20% increase during the rainy season.[9]

Response

Kenyan community members planting trees

As a result of high deforestation rates and its negative impacts, the Kenyan government has made efforts to stop it. The first signs of forest conservation in Kenya happened in 1957 with a policy that sought to preserve the forest in order to protect

water catchments and promote sustainable development of the forest industry.[1] As a result of research and detailed data, in the early 2000s, the Kenyan government further pursued the protection of forests by enacting a policy that both addresses socioeconomic and environmental challenges.[1] One of the most notorious examples being the 2005 Forest Act that continues to be an example of forest policy today. The 2005 Forest Act required public participation and collaboration with local communities to develop forest management plants while respecting their cultural traditions.[1] In addition, the 2005 forest act acknowledged the ability of sustainable practices to reduce poverty and sustain necessary environmental resources.[1]

More recently the Kenyan government has sought new legislation that further incorporates local communities and promotes economic development.[1] Some critical aspects of today's forest reform include the creation of the Kenya Forest Service, public and professional involvement in resource management, creation of a conservation fund, and conservation of the complete forest ecosystem, which includes water, flora, and fauna.[1]  Additionally, other forest conservation efforts have been implemented with agricultural reform.  The Kenyan Agriculture act included new measures that required every agricultural landholder to conserve 10% of forest cover in their land.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ongugo, P. T.; Langat, D.; Oeba, V.; Kimondo, J. M.; Owuor, B.; Njuguna, J.; Okwaro, G.; Russell, A. (2014). "A review of Kenya's national policies relevant to climate change adaptation and mitigation: Insights from Mount Elgon". CIFOR. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  2. ^ a b "Kenya: Political, Social and Environmental Issues". Nova Science Publishers. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  3. ^ Seton Stiebert, Deborah Murphy, Jason Dion and Scott McFartridge (2012). "Chapter 4: Forestry". Kenya’s Climate Change Action Plan: Mitigation
  4. ^ a b c d e Ofcansky, Thomas P. “Kenya Forestry under British Colonial Administration, 1895-1963.” Journal of Forest History, vol. 28, no. 3, 1984, pp. 136–143. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4004697. Accessed 1 Apr. 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. (2009). Analysis of drivers and underlying causes of forest cover change in various forest types of Kenya [online] Nairobi: Republic of Kenya. Available at: http://www.kenyaforestservice.org/documents/redd/Analysis%20%20of%20Drivers%20of%20Deforestation%20&forest%20Degradation%20in%20Kenya.pdf [Accessed 30 March 2020].
  6. ^ a b Mongabay. "Deforestation statistics for Kenya". Accessed on 4/2/20 from rainforests.mongabay.com.
  7. ^ a b c d "Kenya Experiencing the Effects of Deforestation, Climate Change | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  8. ^
    ISSN 1440-1770
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  9. ^ a b c d Kweka, Eliningaya J et al. “Effect of Deforestation and Land Use Changes on Mosquito Productivity and Development in Western Kenya Highlands: Implication for Malaria Risk.” Frontiers in public health vol. 4 238. 26 Oct. 2016, doi:10.3389/fpubh.2016.00238