Livelihoods Expansion Impacts on Carbon Sequestration: a Case Study of Mau Forest Complex

Abstract

Forest ecosystems provide direct-tangible benefits such as fodder and tree parts for animals, whole trees for timber, firewood and charcoal provides livelihoods for the local communities, whilst the indirect-intangible benefits such as carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, air quality, soil formation etc. are insurmountable. The forest ecosystem however, is being threatened by climate change and livelihood expansions such as: expanding cropland areas, pastoralism, timber harvesting, and charcoal trading. With projections showing increasing populace in the Sub- Saharan Africa, these threats to forest ecosystems are likely to be exacerbated. Mau Forest Complex (MFC) a vital forest ecosystem faced with a lot of these challenges, and deforestation hotspot at that. This study focused on three key objectives: to determine the land cover changes (1990-2018) that had taken place, to determine the factors driving livelihood expansion into the MFC and to determine the carbon sequestration losses due to the land conversions. The study administered 200 household surveys from communities living around the MFC, a focused group discussion and five key informant interviews to determine the drivers of livelihoods expansion around the MFC. Additionally, analysis of Landsat satellite images was used to determine the land cover conversions that had occurred. This information was used as primary data in the Agriculture Land Use (ALU) software to estimate associated losses in carbon sequestration. This research determined that there has been a 12.63% reduction in forest cover category which is a 33% reduction of the forest cover in the study area between 1990 and 2018. It was also determined that within the same timeframe there was a 31.68% increase in the cropland area, most of which were land converted from forestlands and grasslands. The periods of highest deforestation rates between 1990 and 2010 recorded at 12%, coincided with forest excisions that had been granted by the government in 1990 and 2001. The study determined that the greatest threat to carbon sequestration capacity of the MFC had been land conversion to cropland areas. A sequestration capacity loss of -5,053.884Gg/yr. was determined to occur between 1990 and 2018. The study recommended the need for abating actions to be taken now rather than later. Involvement of all key stakeholders: governments, communities, local authorities, researchers, NGOs was paramount to understand how their livelihoods expansion impacted the environment, and actions that needed to be taken, to positively conserve and improve on their ecosystem for sustainability of the environment, their livelihoods and their future.