Environmental Conservation at Crossroads: The Way Forward

Abstract

Environmental conservation in Kenya is one of the key environmental issues which have attracted the attention of many stakeholders ranging from the government of Kenya to local youth groups. In the last two decades, the rehabilitation of degraded forests hit the news headlines in all print and electronic media in Kenya. Rehabilitation efforts have since been directed towards eviction of illegal settlers from forest reserves, banning of the shamba systems and subsequent tree planting exercises. However, under the changing climates, destruction of rural livelihoods by extreme climatic events particularly by droughts force the poor rural populace to source for alternative source of livelihoods from forest resources leading to further degradation of the environment. To investigate the challenges of environmental conservation under the changing climate, a study was carried out in Laikipia North District where the main economic activity was pastoralism. The main objective of the study was to examine the effects of extreme climatic event on environmental conservation. The study established that the dwindling pastoral economy of the Maasai pastoralists due to droughts led to over exploitation of range-land and forest resources as pastoralists endeavored to cope with the ravaging droughts. As coping strategies, the Maasai pastoralists embarked on cutting tree twigs and branches to feed their livestock, burning charcoal, conduct illegal poaching of forest products for fencing/ construction poles from Mukogodo forest reserve and deliberately increase sheep and goats (shoats), which are heavy browsers. As a result, vast areas of the rangelands lay bare with patchy vegetation’s while parts of forest reserve were completely destroyed. The present study emphasizes the ability to conserve the environment under the changing climate in Kenya and the heavy investments in provision of water and establishment of suitable irrigation projects. This will enhance agricultural production and also provide an alternative source of livelihoods which might lead to reduced rate of natural resource exploitation.