Distribution of Illegal Activities and Tree Species Poaching in Aberdare Ranges, Kenya
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
EdinBurg
Abstract
Globally, forest loss in mountains is rapidly increasing. The main drivers of this loss are
attributed to agriculture, forest fires, and commercialization of forest products. The objective
of this study was to understand the distribution of illegal activities and affected tree species in
Aberdare ranges. This was achieved by using data collected by the Wildlife Research and
Training Institute (WRTI), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Aberdare Joint Surveillance
Unit (AJSU) routine ecological monitoring. WRTI and KWS collected data during elephant
surveys in 2017 and 2021 while AJSU collected data during routine monitoring that was
continuously done on a priority basis from 2017 to 2021. All data on illegal activities collected
from 2015 to 2021 from both sources was collated to make one data set of 955 records. The
data was analysed to determine the vulnerable tree species based on the frequency of times a
tree species was affected by illegal activity. The data was further analysed using ArcMap 10.8
and R software to determine the relationship between roads, fences, guard outposts, and illegal
activities. The results showed that illegal logging (47%, n=449), snaring (18.7%, n=179),
charcoal making (14.7%, n=140), firewood collection (9.3%, n=89), and fence damage (4.1%,
n=39) were the top five most frequent illegal activities in Aberdare ranges. Other activities
recorded were honey harvesting, 2.1%, n=20; disposed waste, 1.3%, n=12; encroachment at
0.8%, n=8, Cannabis sativa cultivation at 0.5%, n=5, burnt areas at 0.4%, n=4; cut grass,
fishing, tobacco farming each at 0.3%, n=3; and abandoned motorbike at 0.1%, n=1. The
overall distribution showed that those illegal activities happened within Forest Reserves as
compared to the National Park. Out of the 244 records that had data on affected tree species,
Juniperus procera, Arundinaria alpina, and Podocarpus latifolius/glacilior were the top three
vulnerable trees to illegal logging with a frequency of 46%, 17%, and 10% respectively.
Information acquired from the study is crucial for the protection of the Aberdare ecosystem.
The data will also be useful in meeting legal obligations related to natural resource protection.
Understanding the patterns and extent of illegal activities is also important for effective law
enforcement and prevention of biodiversity loss
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Citation
Nduguta, R. N., Kung’u, J. B., & Kinyanjui, M. (2024). Distribution of Illegal Activities and Tree Species Poaching in Aberdare Ranges, Kenya. International Journal of Scholarly Practice, 4(2), 11-27.