Controlling P. Juliflora Through Sustainable Land Management: the Determinants of Land Users’ Decisions and Practices in Marigat Sub-county, Kenya.

Abstract

The effective implementation of sustainable land management (SLM) practices is vital for achieving land degradation neutrality. However, the sustainability of these practices depends on the continuous decisions made by land users to adopt and implement them. Unlike studies on other forms of degradation like desertification and soil erosion, there is a lack of focus on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) management in studies related to SLM uptake and implementation. Consequently, applying the findings of SLM studies to invasion management remains uncertain due to the complex nature of the invasion process. This study aimed at: 1) analyzing the potential of stakeholder-led participation in contributing to the effective selection and sustained use of SLM practices to manage P. juliflora, 2) analyzing spatio-temporal invasion trajectories of P. juliflora cover and relating their spatial occurrence to relevant landscape features, 3) evaluating drivers influencing land users’ decisions for SLM implementation, and 4) assessing land tenure right barriers that impact land users’ implementation of SLM practices. Conducted in Marigat Sub-County, land cover data collected from 1988 to 2016 were analyzed to generate spatio-temporal trajectories related to landscape features, while 150 respondents from both the heavily and sparsely invaded areas were interviewed. The study observed that participation in a structured decision-making process enhances stakeholders’ knowledge of the significance of invasion, prompting them to prioritize the need to manage IAS. A notable distinction (p<0.05) in perceptions emerged between engaged local implementation groups (LIG) and non-LIG members regarding the imperative need to manage the invasion. Further, 89% of LIG members either agreed or strongly agreed on the necessity to control the proliferation of P. juliflora. The spatio-temporal analysis of P. juliflora trajectories revealed that the trends of invasion is correlated (p<0.01) with underlying land management decisions and drivers, rather than a random occurrence. The ongoing management of P. juliflora dominates on few, small parcels where land users anticipate a substantial threat of invasion to their income or potential costs if left unmanaged. Consistently cleared parcels accounted for a mere 110 hectares (2% of the study area), with only 7 hectares (Ha) experiencing long-term clearance. This low and declining cover of cleared areas indicates the unsustainability of existing management options for longterm invasion control. In contrast, the consistently invaded parcels were highly prevalent, and with an increasing trend covering 6,329 hectares (94% of all trajectory categories), mainly distributed within 800 meters from roads. Further, communally shared parcels such as pasturelands and roadsides are the most vulnerable, yet the most neglected in terms of invasion management. This is because there's a perception that no one is held accountable, especially when economic benefits aren't guaranteed for land users. Additionally, the study identified critical tenure right barriers within the customary tenure system, namely the partriarchal system, dysfunctional enforcement institutions, unresponsiveness of tenure rights to livelihood changes, and limited land transactions that leaves vulnerable parcels under the ownership of the elderly community members who lack capacity to manage invasion. The study underscores the importance of economic benefits as an incentive to land users’ their collective participation in invasion management at the landscape level. Trajectory IAS mapping was also found to be important planning tool to enhance the prioritization of context-specific and timely response mechanisms. As a key recommendation, the study advocates for the national IAS management strategy to focus on empowering grassroots-level actors in addressing challenges to Sustainable Land Management (SLM) implementation, especially concerning IAS management at the landscape scale. .