Effects of Horticultural Farming in Kitengela-isinya Area on Wildlife Conservation in the Nairobi National Park

Abstract

The future of wildlife in Kenya and its conserved ecosystems largely depends on the current and future planning for land use in the adjacent areas or dispersal regions. All national parks including the Nairobi National Park, as they now exist are in some degree or other dependent on the relationship between land use changes and the wildlife in the surrounding areas. Horticultural farming around the Nairobi National park presents such a case that this study has dwelt on. This study investigated the effects of horticultural farming around the Nairobi National Park on wildlife conservation and management, its three main objectives are: To investigate the nature of pressure from horticultural farming activities on wildlife habitat near the Nairobi National Park. Secondly, is to find the types of conflicts between the farmers and the migrating wildlife around the park. Lastly, to examine the differences between the large scale horticultural farming and small scale farmers and its effects on wildlife in the dispersal area around the park. The study made use of both secondary and primary data with the sample size being 26 small scale farmers and 10 large scale farmers. The large scale farmers were purposively sampled-targeting all the farmers while the small scale farmers the study sampled were 26 randomly picked out of the possible 193 farmers in the dispersal area. This was because they produced similar horticultural crops. The research design adopted a descriptive research design since the study gathered both qualitative and quantitative data. The study found that: There has been a steady increase in human population (settlements) around the conservation area greatly attributed to horticultural farming leading to habitat loss for wildlife. Large scale farming contributed more to population increase than small scale farming in the dispersal area; land fragmentation and fencing were a major threat to the survival of wildlife species around the conservancy blocking the migratory species from accessing the Athi-Kapiti plains where they breed. The two major types of human wildlife conflicts the study found out were: crop raiding and damage to property. The most problematic wildlife to the farmers were flocks of birds targeting different crops and pests on the farms, other species of wildlife were antelopes ,elands ,zebra, hares ,wildebeest ,warthogs and wild dogs. Lastly the study highlights recommendations and areas for further research or gaps in the study. The recommendations include: Land use changes and zone management to cater for the migration corridor, establishment of a protected area in partnership with the community and the KWS and enhanced compensation resulting from human-wildlife conflict as well as payment for eco-system services whereby the community gets compensated for conservation efforts. Some of the research gaps that this study identified were: research on use of pesticides and other agro-chemicals on wildlife in the dispersal area. Effect of water extraction for farming with relation to underground water flow, system recharge and ecological sustainability around the park and Studies should be done on effects of pastoralism around the park and its compatibility to wildlife conservation.