How to optimise the participation of Mau Forest's stakeholders in the struggle against forest degradation? Tome 1: understanding the uses, forest practices and perceptions of the Mau Forest stakeholders, Kenya
In Kenya as in many developing countries, some communities are living near the forest and depend on it. In the Mau Forest (Kenya), forest degradation is more common than forest improvement. The illegal exploitation of wood; as well excessive and destructive, is threatening the balance of the natural resource. As a result of that, forest cover has been deeply depleted in many parts of Mau forest. The objective of this study is to contribute to the success of the Forest Restoration in Eastern Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and Madagascar (Foreaim) project which will propose solutions to improve the state of forest resources. In the context of the new Forest Act 2005 in Kenya, communities can be involved in the management of the forest. To restore the forest it is important to empower them, but before empowering communities, it is necessary to understand how they use the forest and what the causes of the forest degradation are. In this research, uses, forest practices and perceptions of forest communities are identified in order to understand their influence on the forest resources. Three villages with a different socio-economic context were studied: Nyakinyua, Bonde and Chepsir Tea Zone. Inventories of the forest adjacent to these three villages were carried out in order to link the identified uses and practices of the forest with its state. The local population harvests trees for domestic uses but also as an income source. The main destructive activities are charcoal burning, farming and grazing in the forest. The communities' perception of the forest varies according to the environment and the forest uses. In Nyakinyua the forest state is alarming because it is intensively used. Beyond being degraded, some parts of the forest are deforested. In Bonde, the resource is relatively abundant but the uses are intensive. In Chepsir, the villagers depend less on the forest for their livelihoods and the forest is well conserved. To restore the forest two main strategies are proposed: the non residential cultivation and on-farm forestry.
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| Format: | thesis biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
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ENGREF
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| Subjects: | K10 - Production forestière, K01 - Foresterie - Considérations générales, P01 - Conservation de la nature et ressources foncières, E51 - Population rurale, E50 - Sociologie rurale, P06 - Sources d'énergie renouvelable, |
| Online Access: | http://agritrop.cirad.fr/577137/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/577137/1/ID577137.pdf |
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| Summary: | In Kenya as in many developing countries, some communities are living near the forest and depend on it. In the Mau Forest (Kenya), forest degradation is more common than forest improvement. The illegal exploitation of wood; as well excessive and destructive, is threatening the balance of the natural resource. As a result of that, forest cover has been deeply depleted in many parts of Mau forest. The objective of this study is to contribute to the success of the Forest Restoration in Eastern Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and Madagascar (Foreaim) project which will propose solutions to improve the state of forest resources. In the context of the new Forest Act 2005 in Kenya, communities can be involved in the management of the forest. To restore the forest it is important to empower them, but before empowering communities, it is necessary to understand how they use the forest and what the causes of the forest degradation are. In this research, uses, forest practices and perceptions of forest communities are identified in order to understand their influence on the forest resources. Three villages with a different socio-economic context were studied: Nyakinyua, Bonde and Chepsir Tea Zone. Inventories of the forest adjacent to these three villages were carried out in order to link the identified uses and practices of the forest with its state. The local population harvests trees for domestic uses but also as an income source. The main destructive activities are charcoal burning, farming and grazing in the forest. The communities' perception of the forest varies according to the environment and the forest uses. In Nyakinyua the forest state is alarming because it is intensively used. Beyond being degraded, some parts of the forest are deforested. In Bonde, the resource is relatively abundant but the uses are intensive. In Chepsir, the villagers depend less on the forest for their livelihoods and the forest is well conserved. To restore the forest two main strategies are proposed: the non residential cultivation and on-farm forestry. |
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