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Featured researches published by John Mburu.


Ecological Economics | 2003

Relative importance and determinants of landowners' transaction costs in collaborative wildlife management in Kenya: an empirical analysis

John Mburu; Regina Birner; Manfred Zeller

Abstract Collaborative management of protected areas—which involves state agencies, local communities and other stakeholders—has been identified as a promising approach of organising nature conservation. However, as a complex governance structure, co-management can be expected to involve considerable transaction costs for the participating stakeholders. Empirical studies concerning the quantification of these costs are still scarce. Against this background, this paper empirically analyses the relative importance and the determinants of the landowners’ transaction costs arising from collaborative wildlife management, taking two wildlife sanctuaries in Kenya as examples. The empirical data presented in this paper was collected in the wildlife dispersal areas of Shimba Hills National Reserve and Amboseli National Park in Kenya. The results of this study show that—as compared to other cost categories—the landowners’ transaction costs incurred in wildlife co-management were relatively low. They also indicate that the magnitude of the transaction costs incurred by landowners is influenced by the attributes of transactions; bio-physical and ecological characteristics of the resource systems; landowners’ characteristics such as their human, social and financial forms of capital; losses resulting from human–wildlife conflicts; tenure security and benefits from conservation. Comparing the results of a two-stage least squares regression model of landowners’ characteristics of the two wildlife sanctuaries, it was found that the level of significance and the sign of most variables are not the same for both areas. This indicates that it is a specific combination of local factors that influences the transaction costs borne by the landowners.


Journal of Economic Entomology | 2009

Economic Benefit of Crop Pollination by Bees: A Case of Kakamega Small-Holder Farming in Western Kenya

J. M. Kasina; John Mburu; Manfred Kraemer; K. Holm-Mueller

ABSTRACT In most developing countries, crop production is by small scale farmers, who mainly produce for their own consumption and the extra for market. Pollination in such systems is unmanaged and is usually incidental, supported by nearby ecosystems. One of the reasons of not managing pollination is the lack of understanding of its economic value. The “public-good” nature of pollination in these systems also discourages individual initiatives intended to conserve pollinators. We evaluate the economic returns from bee pollination in small-holder farming systems. To do this we apply the factor of production method, a form of revealed preferences methods available for valuing ecosystem services. Our analyses show that bee pollination enhances the yield of most crops grown in the farmland and improves immensely the quality of produce. Almost 40% of the annual value of crops under consideration represented the net returns derived from bee pollination. More than 99% of this benefit is attributed to pollination by feral bees. We provide in-depth valuation of pollination service and discuss applicability and limitations of the factor of production method in developing countries.


Society & Natural Resources | 2007

Emergence, Adoption, and Implementation of Collaborative Wildlife Management or Wildlife Partnerships in Kenya: A Look at Conditions for Success

John Mburu; Regina Birner

This article explores the factors that contribute to the emergence and adoption of wildlife partnerships in Kenya. This is a management approach based on the concept of collaborative management (comanagement). In addition, the article analyzes two case studies and examines how successful the implementation of partnership projects has been in terms of stewardship, distributional aspects, and fulfilling conservation interests. The key factors found to favor wildlife partnerships include enabling policies, the presence of organizational capacity within user groups, and the access of local communities to benefits from wildlife through land ownership. Furthermore, it was found that the approach has had mixed success because important challenges emerged from its implementation. The article concludes by highlighting several implications for the future of wildlife partnerships in Kenya.


International Journal of Environmental Studies | 2014

Assessing the spatio-temporal climate variability in semi-arid Karamoja sub-region in north-eastern Uganda

Anthony Egeru; Richard Osaliya; Laban MacOpiyo; John Mburu; Oliver Wasonga; Bernard Barasa; Mohammed Yahya Said; Daniel Knox Aleper; Gilbert-Jackson Majaliwa Mwanjalolo

Semi-arid areas show climatic variability on a spatio-temporal scale. There are few studies on the long-term trends and intensity of this variability from East Africa. We used National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration re-analysis climate data (1979–2009) in this study. Rainfall exhibited a non-significant long-term trend. The climate of the area is variable (coefficient of variation-CV >35.0%) with spatio-temporal oddities in rainfall and temperature. A rise in minimum (0.9 °C), maximum (1.6 °C) and mean (1.3 °C) temperature occurred between 1979 and 2009. There were more months with climate variability indices below the threshold (<1.0) from 1979 to 1994 than between 1995 and 2009, with wetness intensity increasingly common after 2000, leading to the observed reduction in the recurrence of multi-year drought events. More extreme wet events (rainfall variability index >2.6) were experienced between 2004 and 2009 than between 1984 and 2003. We consider that the use of spatio-temporal climatic information for timely adjustment to extreme climate variability events is essential in semi-arid areas.


Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution | 2006

Local Organizations Involved in the Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources: Conditions for their Emergence and Success in Ethiopia and Kenya

John Mburu; Edilegnaw Wale

Local organizations comprising of farmers, local formal and informal institutions, and public conservators can potentially be relevant options to confront the challenges of conserving indigenous crop varieties in developing countries. Although property rights and market failure problems experienced in crop genetic resources (CGRs) are different from other natural resources such as forests, wildlife, etc., such local organizations, and contractual arrangements within them, can be very instrumental in enhancing on-farm conservation. However, empirical investigations of such local organizations in order to determine the dimensions of their feasibility have been scarce. Against this background, this paper analyzes interactions of stakeholders in these local organizations and then explores the conditions for their emergence and success. The paper discusses field cases of on-farm conservation of traditional cereals and pulses from Ethiopia and indigenous vegetables from Kenya. It points out that local organizations conserving CGRs can be classified into different categories of contractual arrangements depending on certain driving factors that influence interactions of stakeholders and devolvement of decision-making authority. The paper further argues that these driving factors, which include accessibility to markets, presence of collective action or self-organizational capacity and provision of relevant CGRs conservation policies, form some of the key conditions determining the success of the case study organizations. The paper concludes by outlining policy implications on the structuring of such local organizations and the importance of certain factors in facilitating their emergence and success.


Archive | 2004

Wildlife Conservation and Management in Kenya: Towards a Co-management Approach

John Mburu

The co-management approach of managing natural resources has increasingly become popular among conservationists and development practitioners since it overcomes the shortcomings of both the centralised management and community-based approaches that hinder harmonization of conflicting interests among diverse stakeholder groups. Considering criteria developed from theoretical advancements on co-management and drawing on empirical studies conducted in Kenya, the paper examines how successful the co-management approach has been in terms of meeting the needs and interests of local communities and conservationists. Further, it analyses some of the factors or conditions that contribute towards the emergence and subsequent adoption of the co-management approach in the conservation and management of wildlife. These factors, which may also be important in other developing countries, include the provision of a favourable policy framework, institutional capacity of organized user groups to co-manage wildlife resources, land tenure conditions and accessibility to wildlife resources. It is emphasised that the co-management approach has had, so far, mixed results and there are certain important factors challenging its successful implementation in Kenya.


Pastoralism | 2015

Piospheric influence on forage species composition and abundance in semi-arid Karamoja sub-region, Uganda

Anthony Egeru; Oliver Wasonga; Laban MacOpiyo; John Mburu; John R. S. Tabuti; Mwanjalolo J. Majaliwa

Piospheres in semi-arid areas are gradients of animal impacts around watering holes. Few studies have examined the impact dynamics of herbaceous and woody species composition and abundance in relation to piospheres in East Africa. In this study, we identified the trend in piosphere development, assessed piosphere use and change indicators, and identified herbaceous and woody plant structure in relation to piospheres in the Karamoja sub-region, Uganda. Results revealed that piosphere development has been reactionary to drought and/or insecurity events and increased rapidly in the last decade. A diversity of herbaceous and woody plants exists around the piospheres. Use and change indicators revealed high trampling and grazing intensity, high presence of erosion signs and low litter cover. Gradient distance had both positive and negative effects on trampling intensity, percent exposure and plant height, respectively. A negative and positive effect of gradient distance was also observed on different herbaceous and woody forage species leading to the identification of both increaser and decreaser species around the piospheres. Therefore, as concentrated use of the piospheres continues unabated, an outward ripple effect leading to loss and/or increase of undesirable herbaceous and woody species will be felt. This will have an impact on the composition and abundance dynamics of desirable forage species in the sub-region.


African Study Monographs | 2015

ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY OF NATIVE FORAGE SPECIES IN PASTORAL KARAMOJA SUB-REGION, UGANDA

Anthony Egeru; Oliver Wasonga; Laban MacOpiyo; John Mburu; Mwanjalolo J. Majaliwa

Low input pastoral production systems rely exclusively on natural forage resources in space and time. Information on the abundance and diversity of such pastures is vital in improving livestock production and managing the biodiversity of grazing landscapes. This study documented grass and browse forage species utilised in pastoral Karamoja, and determined their relative abundance by district, season and grazing land cover. Up to 65 grass and 110 browse species were utilised in Karamoja Sub-region. In situ assessments revealed that Chloris, Hyparrhennia, Sporobolus, Pennisetum, Aristida, Cynodon, Eragrostis, Setaria, and Panicum grasses had higher relative abundance. Triumfetta annua, Indigofera erecta, Acacia drepanolobium, Grewia holstii, Acacia kirkii, Acacia mellifera, Acacia tortolis, Maerua pseudopetalosa, Acacia oerfota, and Ocimmum canum woody species were the most abundant. From the community assessment, Hyparrhennia, Chloris, Panicum, Bracharia, Eragrostis, and Setaria grasses and Acacia mellifera, Cadaba farinose, Acacia oerfota, Acacia drepanolobium, Caparis tormentosa, Maerua pseudopetalosa and Hisbiscus micrantha woody plants were identified as the most abundant among the grazing land cover. The grass and browse forage species varied by season, location, and land cover type. The study also found detailed local knowledge of grass and browse forage species in the community. This study has shown the existence of high diversity among grass and browse forage species with differentiated relative abundance across space and time. This, and the detailed communal cultural knowledge, form a basis for the improvement of livestock production as well as biodiversity conservation in Karamoja sub-region.


International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment | 2008

Household labour allocation to forest extraction and other activities in areas adjacent to tropical forests: the case of Kakamega forest, Western Kenya

Geophrey Sikei; John Mburu; Job K. Lagat

Communities adjacent to forests are faced with a challenge of balancing their labour allocation decisions to the different household activities. This study involves an empirical examination of the determinants of households labour allocation decisions with respect to three different activities identified as important in the study area; agriculture, forest and non-farm. This was done by estimating a labour share model similar to standard models of commodity or factor demand, such as the Almost Ideal Demand Systems (AIDS) model. Data on household characteristics and key policy parameters directly or indirectly affecting labour allocation decisions were collected between March and May 2007. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 140 households. From the findings, it was evident that household members respond positively to wage returns. The positive relationship between the returns to forest use and forest labour share provides a cautionary message for policy-makers and other stakeholders concerned with the fate of the Kakamega forest. In the short term, it seems probable that the returns to forest use will increase as the aggregate demand for forest products rises and supply declines. The study findings suggest that, with improved economic well-being, households become less reliant on forests for their livelihoods. Since reduced forest reliance is positively related with a reduced demand for forest products, these findings suggest a complementary relationship between strategies aimed at poverty alleviation and those aimed towards forest conservation.


Environment, Development and Sustainability | 2017

Adaptation of institutional arrangements to management of Northern Rangelands of Kenya

Caroline Karwitha Kanyuuru; John Mburu; Jesse T. Njoka

Northern Rangelands of Kenya have continued to grapple with management challenges largely due to a lack of understanding of the dynamics thereof. Eroding customary institutions and new institutional arrangements characterize the system suggesting that adaptation is taking place to cope with the change. It is imperative that these socio-ecosystems adjust to the disturbance without disintegrating into a different state that is controlled by a different set of processes to ensure sustainable rangeland management. To understand the nature of change, the study sought to evaluate institutional arrangements engaged in tackling growing socio-economic and ecological factors challenging development within the last decade. Three study sites namely Kinna, Makurian and Westgate, representing three types of institutional arrangements (elders only, group ranch committee and community conservancy board), were investigated. Key informants, focused group discussions and household survey methods were used to gather data. Data were managed and analysed using Ms Access, Ms Excel, social network analysis and SPSS. Findings indicate that more actors (internal and external) are engaging in management of social economic and ecological factors challenging development within the last decade. The co-management approach allows increased capacity to tackle these challenges and further presents more opportunities for a diversified livelihood, two key features of ecosystem resilience. Findings are useful as the Kenya government implements the National Land Policy that recognizes the need to restructure community land and its management.

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Edilegnaw Wale

University of KwaZulu-Natal

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Paul Guthiga

Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis

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Charity Irungu

University of Göttingen

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Regina Birner

University of Göttingen

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