Francis Mwaura

Forest and woodland depletion in the Lake Elementeita basin, Kenya

Research geographers combined LANDSAT imagery analysis and vegetation survey (LANDSAT data interpretation, ground truthing, and quantitative transect sampling) to study the spatial dynamics of forest and woodland areas in the Lake Elementeita watershed in the central Rift Valley of Kenya. Between 1973-1984, trees in forests and woodlands disappeared rapidly from a cover of 152-64 sq. km, i.e. 45-19% of total catchment. The most rapid decrease occurred between 1973-1976 which was associated with immigration into the area in the 1960s and 1970s. Indeed the annual population growth rate in the area was 5.7%. Further most of the population concentrated in the upper and middle catchment areas of Ndunduri, Ngorika, and Nyaituga where the soils and climate were best for commercial crop and livestock farming. This high concentration of people in 1 area along with the high population growth rate contributed greatly to deforestation. In fact, it resulted in a 57.9% loss of total forest and woodland areas. These trees used to cover most of the Ndunduri and Ngorika areas. Agroecosystems have replaced the Juniperus procera and Olea africana forest belts which dominated the Ngorika plains in the past. Further, in 1988, field observations revealed that very limited forest and woodland areas have remained undisturbed. Based on these results and the fact that little substantial efforts towards conservation and afforestation, the researchers predicted that most of the watershed would be with forests and woodlands by 2000. They further noted that deforestation could cause lower water levels in Lake Elementeita, especially during droughts, and worsen soil erosion. Therefore the government should initiate environmental controls in this watershed that match local conditions and the true and increasing needs of the rural population.

Climate change adaptation and EIA studies in Kenya

Purpose – The paper is an excerpt from a bigger study with an overall aim of examining the extent to which climate change adaptation has been integrated in the EIA studies undertaken in Kenya since the process inception in 2000. The purpose was to establish whether adequate attention is given to the issue of climate change mitigation as major challenge in the world during the 21st century.Design/methodology/approach – The research design is based on qualitative research involving a review of EIA reports approved by the national environmental authority and also based on key informant consultations with licensed EIA experts in the country. Thereafter, the findings were analyzed through standard statistical procedures.Findings – The findings showed that climate change integration in all the reviewed EIA reports was mainly restricted to mere consideration of historical climate change information in the project areas and totally weak in terms of climate change prediction scenarios and their likely impacts on t...