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Forest Conservation and Utilization in Embobut, Cherangani Hills, Kenya

Received: 1 January 2019     Accepted: 15 January 2019     Published: 31 January 2019
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Abstract

Embobut forest is a constituent block of the Cherangani hills ecosystem, which entails the five major water towers in Kenya and home to the indigenous hunters and gatherers-the Cherangany/Sengwer community. This study aimed at investigating forest utilization and conservation in Embobut, Cherangani hills in the western part of Kenya. Data was collected using questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) and analysis done using Microsoft office excel 2013. A total of 42 respondents living inside and within a radius of 5 Kilometers from the forest were sampled for the study. Research findings indicated that 95.2% of the respondents benefited from the forest with fuel wood being the most harvested forest product (71.4%). Honey (26.2%) and herbal medicine (21.4%) were the second and third most harvested products from the forest. Other benefits and products obtained from the forest included grazing, building poles, wild fruits, and bush meat. Despite the conservation efforts by community members and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), a number of conservation challenges existed in the study area including illegal grazing, illegal logging, charcoal burning, forest fires and encroachment into the forest. The researcher therefore recommends the Implementation of the Cherangani hills Forest Strategic Management Plan (2015-2040) to address the existing challenges. Integration of the indigenous communities into the political processes especially around land-use issues and forest management will also be critical to ensuring their future well-being while concurrently achieving conservation goals.

Published in International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 4, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20190401.12
Page(s) 7-13
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Embobut, Conservation, Cherangani Hills, Indigenous People

References
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[7] Santika, T., Meijaard, E., Budiharta, S., Law, E. A., Kusworo, A., Hutabarat, J. A., … Wilson, K. A. (2017). Community forest management in Indonesia : Avoided deforestation in the context of anthropogenic and climate complexities. Global Environmental Change, 46 (December 2016), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.08.002.
[8] CIFOR. (2017). Forest Policy. Retrieved on 11/11/2017 from http://www.cifor.org/forest-policy/.
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[10] UNEP, FAO, & UNFF. (2009). Vital Forest Graphics: Stopping the Downswing? UNEP/Grid-Arendal. Retrieved on 18/11/2017 from https://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/for/wscb-fbdcc-01/other/wscb-fbdcc-01-oth-13-en.pdf.
[11] Kenya Forest Service (2015). Cherangani Hills Forest strategic Ecosystem Management Plan, 2015-2040. Retrieved on 11/01/2019 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284166727_Cherangani_Hills_Forest_strategic_Ecosystem_Management_Plan_2015-2040.
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[15] Langat, D. K., Maranga, E. K., Aboud, A. A., & Cheboiwo, J. K. (2016). Role of Forest Resources to Local Livelihoods : The Case of East Mau Forest Ecosystem, Kenya, 2016. International Journal of Forestry Research Volume 2016, Article ID 4537354,10 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/4537354.
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[21] Ochieng, R. (2009). A Review of degradation status of the Mau Forest and Possible Remedial Measures, Munich, GRIN Verlag, http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/156873/a-review-of-degradation-status-of-the-mau-forest-and-possible-remedial.
[22] Ngendakumana, S., Bachange, E. G., Damme, P. Van, Speelman, S., Tchoundjeu, Z., Kalinganire, A., & Bandiaky, S. B. (2013). Rethinking Rights and Interests of Local Communities in REDD + Designs : Lessons Learnt from Current Forest Tenure Systems in Cameroon, ISRN Forestry Volume 2013, Article ID 830902, 14pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/830902.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Brian Rotich. (2019). Forest Conservation and Utilization in Embobut, Cherangani Hills, Kenya. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 4(1), 7-13. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20190401.12

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    ACS Style

    Brian Rotich. Forest Conservation and Utilization in Embobut, Cherangani Hills, Kenya. Int. J. Nat. Resour. Ecol. Manag. 2019, 4(1), 7-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20190401.12

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    AMA Style

    Brian Rotich. Forest Conservation and Utilization in Embobut, Cherangani Hills, Kenya. Int J Nat Resour Ecol Manag. 2019;4(1):7-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20190401.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijnrem.20190401.12,
      author = {Brian Rotich},
      title = {Forest Conservation and Utilization in Embobut, Cherangani Hills, Kenya},
      journal = {International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management},
      volume = {4},
      number = {1},
      pages = {7-13},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijnrem.20190401.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20190401.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnrem.20190401.12},
      abstract = {Embobut forest is a constituent block of the Cherangani hills ecosystem, which entails the five major water towers in Kenya and home to the indigenous hunters and gatherers-the Cherangany/Sengwer community. This study aimed at investigating forest utilization and conservation in Embobut, Cherangani hills in the western part of Kenya. Data was collected using questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) and analysis done using Microsoft office excel 2013. A total of 42 respondents living inside and within a radius of 5 Kilometers from the forest were sampled for the study. Research findings indicated that 95.2% of the respondents benefited from the forest with fuel wood being the most harvested forest product (71.4%). Honey (26.2%) and herbal medicine (21.4%) were the second and third most harvested products from the forest. Other benefits and products obtained from the forest included grazing, building poles, wild fruits, and bush meat. Despite the conservation efforts by community members and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), a number of conservation challenges existed in the study area including illegal grazing, illegal logging, charcoal burning, forest fires and encroachment into the forest. The researcher therefore recommends the Implementation of the Cherangani hills Forest Strategic Management Plan (2015-2040) to address the existing challenges. Integration of the indigenous communities into the political processes especially around land-use issues and forest management will also be critical to ensuring their future well-being while concurrently achieving conservation goals.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    T1  - Forest Conservation and Utilization in Embobut, Cherangani Hills, Kenya
    AU  - Brian Rotich
    Y1  - 2019/01/31
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    JF  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
    JO  - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
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    AB  - Embobut forest is a constituent block of the Cherangani hills ecosystem, which entails the five major water towers in Kenya and home to the indigenous hunters and gatherers-the Cherangany/Sengwer community. This study aimed at investigating forest utilization and conservation in Embobut, Cherangani hills in the western part of Kenya. Data was collected using questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) and analysis done using Microsoft office excel 2013. A total of 42 respondents living inside and within a radius of 5 Kilometers from the forest were sampled for the study. Research findings indicated that 95.2% of the respondents benefited from the forest with fuel wood being the most harvested forest product (71.4%). Honey (26.2%) and herbal medicine (21.4%) were the second and third most harvested products from the forest. Other benefits and products obtained from the forest included grazing, building poles, wild fruits, and bush meat. Despite the conservation efforts by community members and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), a number of conservation challenges existed in the study area including illegal grazing, illegal logging, charcoal burning, forest fires and encroachment into the forest. The researcher therefore recommends the Implementation of the Cherangani hills Forest Strategic Management Plan (2015-2040) to address the existing challenges. Integration of the indigenous communities into the political processes especially around land-use issues and forest management will also be critical to ensuring their future well-being while concurrently achieving conservation goals.
    VL  - 4
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Author Information
  • Department of Environment and Resources Development, Chuka University, Chuka, Kenya

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