Socio-economic values and traditional strategies of managing wetland resources in Lower Tana River, Kenya

Abstract

Understanding local people's socio-economic values of wetlands and traditional mechanisms of managing natural resources forms the basis of conserving them. In order to sustainably manage wetland resources in Tana River National Primate Reserve (TRNPR) and its environs, a study was carried out to document values, threats and traditional strategies of managing natural resources. The target communities were the Pokomo and Wardei who inhabit the TRNPR. The study was carried out in different periods in the year 2000 and 2001 and entailed administration of questionnaires, interviews and focused group discussions. Thirty residents were interviewed from six villages in the west bank of Tana River. The study found that oxbow lakes and Tana River formed the main types of wetlands and provided multiple values such as farming, transportation, security and social-cultural values to the local people. These values formed an important premise for conservation. Farming and fishing were the main economic activities of the Pokomo people while Wardei combined livestock rearing with occasional shifting cultivation. The two communities used different traditional systems in managing resources that they needed for their livelihood. The study concludes that the local people can and indeed must play a central role in the conservation of threatened wildlife and habitats in the Lower Tana River.