Trends in Forest Condition, Threats and Conservation Action as Derived from Participatory Monitoring in Coastal Kenya
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Date
2016
Authors
Ndang’ang’a, Paul K
Barasa, Fred M
Kariuki, Mercy N
Muoria, Paul
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley Online Library
Abstract
The coastal forests of Kenya are conservation priorities
hosting high levels of biodiversity. Monitoring of biodiversity
in these forests is therefore necessary to understand and
reverse negative trends in good time. Using the Important
Bird Area (IBA) monitoring framework, a participatory
approach, state (habitat condition), pressure (threats) and
response (conservation action) indicators of twelve coastal
Kenya forest IBAs were assessed from 2004 to 2011. Trends
for these indicators were assessed at six sites for which
sufficient data existed: Arabuko-Sokoke, Dakatcha Woodlands, Gede Ruins, Lower Tana River, Shimba Hills and Taita
Hills, and baselines were described for remaining six.
Changes were always small, but state deteriorated in Gede,
Lower Tana and Shimba Hills, remained the same (unfavourable)inArabuko-Sokoke andDakatcha, andimproved
in Taita Hills. Pressure reduced in Arabuko-Sokoke,
Dakatcha and Taita Hills, deteriorated in Lower Tana and
Shimba Hills and remained the same (medium) in Gede.
Response improved in Dakatcha, remained the same
(medium) in Shimba Hills, and deteriorated in the rest. As
there was an apparent overall deterioration in the forests
assessed, improved management of the protected sites and
increased conservation action through community engagement around protected areas and within the nonprotected
IBAs are recommended.
Key words: biodiversity, forest, Kenya, monitoring, participatory
R esum e
Les for^ets coti ^ eres du Kenya jouissent d’une biodiversit e
consid erable qui en fait des priorit es en matiere de conservation. Il est des lors n ecessaire d’assurer le suivi de la
biodiversit e dans ces for^ets pour comprendre, voire inverser
en temps utile les tendances n egatives. En utilisant le cadre
de suivi des Zones importantes pour la conservation des
oiseaux (ZICO) qui est une approche participative, les
indicateurs d’ etat (conditions de l’habitat), de pression
(menaces) et de r eponse (mesure de conservation) ont et e
evalu es de 2004 a 2011 pour 12 ZICO de for ^ets coti ^ eres du
Kenya. Les tendances de ces indicateurs ont et e evalu ees sur
six sites pour lesquels il y avait suffisamment de donn ees:
Arabuko-Sokoke, Dakatcha Woodlands, Ruines de Gedi,
Lower Tana River, Shimba Hills et Taita Hills, et des bases de
r ef erence ont et e d ecrites pour les six autres. Les changements etaient toujours l egers mais l’ etat s’est d et erior e a
Gedi, Lower Tana et Shimba Hills, il est rest e le m^eme
(d efavorable) a Arabuko-Sokoke et a Dakatcha et il s’est
am elior e a Taita Hills. La pression s’est r eduite a Arabuko-
Sokoke, Dakatcha et Taita Hills, s’est accentu ee a Lower
Tana et Shimba Hills et est rest ee stable (moyenne) a Gedi. La
r eponse s’est am elior ee a Dakatcha, est rest ee la m^eme
(moyenne) dans les Shimba Hills et s’est d et erior ee ailleurs.
Etant donn e qu’il semble qu’il y ait une d egradation g en erale
dans les for^ets evalu ees, une meilleure gestion des sites
prot eg es et de plus fortes mesures de conservation sont
recommand ees, gr^ace a l’engagement communautaire
autour des aires prot eg ees et au sein des ZICO non prot eg ees.
Description
Article
Keywords
biodiversity, forest, Kenya, monitoring, participatory
Citation
Ndang'ang'a, P. K., Barasa, F. M., Kariuki, M. N., & Muoria, P. (2016). Trends in forest condition, threats and conservation action as derived from participatory monitoring in coastal Kenya. African journal of ecology, 54(1), 76-86.