| dc.description.abstract | This study is an examination of local forest governance system in Kenya in the form of a case study of selected forest blocks in Mount Kenya forest (see annexed map). More specifically, the study examines the various kinds of engagements and interests in forest management and utilization in a section of the Mount Kenya forest. The study was informed by the governance changes that are taking place in other third world countries especially in Africa where collaborative natural resource management and participatory approaches that negates the overwhelming influence of the state and favours inclusion of other actors is taking centre stage.
The study had three objectives. First it looked into the local community organization in forest management by looking at the local forest care self help groups. This assessment was critical to the fact that the emerging forest management styles emphasis community participation and thus the need to understand how rural forest adjacent communities as key stakeholders in forestry are organized and engage other actors. Secondly, the study aimed at understanding the different forest stakes among the actors and how they have enhanced or mitigated deforestation. The last objective was to analyze. the various emergent collaborative arrangements between the local communities with other actors.
To achieve the above objectives, the study adopted an anthropological qualitative approach. This approach was useful for the study because it was explorative in nature. The major interest was an assessment of the nature and types of engagements between the various actors particularly with local community groups by analysis of local people narratives of the various aspects of the deforestation debates. The study used the case study method as well as semi structured interviews or focused interviews with community group members and officials and other key informants as the major study methods.
The study resulted in a number of findings that point out several aspects of past and current forest management practices and styles in the case study area. The findings include:
The case studies of community forest groups show there is an active and assertive local community committed to the conservation and collaborative forest
management as demonstrated by the collective action on various deforestation curbing initiatives exhibited by the individual groups on the one hand, and the federation of the groups in MKWELOWA as a whole.
The study also found that community involvement has contributed positively to reduction in deforestation practices. The new interest in formation of local community groups to take part in collaboration with other stakeholders in forest management especially in the last one year is illustrative of eagerness to enter into partnership arrangements.
Mobilization into collective action against deforestation is a result of local initiative through local community groups and the federated organization, MKWELOW A and then through external influences especially through the Green Belt Movement.
Community mobilization to curb mitigating deforestation is challenged by myriad of factors such as heterogeneity of community with different visions for forest biodiversity conservation among the squatters and the settled populations.
Local communities utilize their social capital and networks of trust to undertake collective social action towards mitigating of deforestation. This is indicated by the mobilization initiated by the local people through their groups and the federation through MKWELOW A. The Social capital of the local people is also utilized by external actors such the Green Belt Movement with interests in conservation to mobilize local people towards enhanced tackling of natural resource degradation.
There are diverse incentives that are driving different actors to engage in collaborations and include for instance, livelihood stakes among the local community, biodiversity conservation stakes among NGOs and government department and income stakes among private sector actors such as tourism concerns of the Serena's Mountain Lodge.
In the case study area, there are multilevel stakes in forest management.
Besides the obvious local populations stakes in the forest like forest cultivation, firewood collection, charcoal burning, bee keeping, hunting, etc, there are also
national and international biodiversity conservation stakes by national and multinational actors.
Collaborative forest management is faced by the problem of conflict of interests among the different actors. For instance, it was noted there is competing conservation values between the Green Belt Movement and community groups with which they were working with the NGO preferring to concentrate with planting of indigenous tree that takes long to mature and the community groups preferring to planting fast maturing tree species like eucalyptus which matures fast and hence going to generate livelihoods goods fast. Some conflicts in collaboration are as a
. result of unclear government policies such as the double gazettement of Mount Kenya forest that has brought the two state agencies, the Forest Department and the Kenya Wildlife Service almost at loggerhead.
Most of the collaborations are affected by forestland tenure rights which in the present situation give the state influential powers in the decision-making regarding forest management. This has affected the success of collaborative arrangements in the making among the actors. | en |
