| dc.description.abstract | The conservation of forest bioresources is hampered by lack of information on the resources
and on how communities interact with the resources. Historically, the association of local
communities with resources such as forests through their Indigenous Knowledge Systems
(IKS) has played an important role in the conservation of natural resources. Unfortunately,
IKS is fast getting eroded due to what can be loosely termed as “modernization”. As such
Kenyan forest resources are threatened because some current conservation methods may not
be compatible with forest community livelihoods. This study was undertaken in Boni Forest,
Ijara Sub County in Garissa County which is rated as one of the poorest sub counties in
Kenya. The aim of the study was to generate information on the forest status in terms of
species composition and distribution and to identify how the community has traditionally
interacted with the ecosystem. The study findings point towards the need for forest
conservation methods which incorporate indigenous conservation.
Vegetation data was collected from 6 transects sampled to represent the variety of ecological
conditions in the forest. These were: Mararani (Coastal forests), Mangai (AcaciaCommiphora
woodland), Bodhai (Riverine influence on forests), Sankuri (Lungi block of
Boni Forest), Hulugho (Acacia–Commiphora woodland), Sangailu (Dryland forests & not
gazetted). The data collected included a detailed species inventory and distribution, plant
species information on horizontal and vertical dominance, threats to the forest resources,
details of plant utilization by communities, information on existing indigenous knowledge
systems on plant conservation as well as threats to this knowledge.
The data collected was analyzed using parametric and non parametric methods. The findings
indicated that the forests of Ijara Sub County are rich in species composition with a total of
386 plant species recorded of which 130 were woody species. The forests of the southern
parts of the sub county had a higher species diversity as indicated by the Shannon Wiener
diversity index. The dominant families, namely Mimosaceae and Euphorbiaceae accounted
for 10.8% and 9.2% respectively of all plant species recorded. Croton pseudopulchellus
(Pax) was the most abundant while Dobera glabra (Forssk), Newtonia hildebrandtii (Vatke),
Adansonia digitata (L), Diospros cornii (Chiov) and Lannea schweinfurthii (Engl.)
dominated in terms of basal area coverage. Other dominant species were Brachylaena
huillensis O. Hoffm., Manilkara sulcata (Engl.), Acacia nilotica (L.), Willd.ex Delile and
Combretum constrictum (Benth) in terms of height and crown. The research established that
the forests of the study area were facing a wide range of threats including fires, illegal
logging and clearances for agriculture as well as over exploitation for wood fuel. The remote
sensing data indicated that the health of the forests was more influenced by climatic
variations of rainfall than by human encroachment. The local communities in the area of
study had a rich knowledge of the forests as indicated by the diversity of local names, uses of
plants and regeneration methods. The communities, especially among the Boni as compared
to the Somali, demonstrated good knowledgeof traditional control mechanisms that limited
the exploitation of certain species. The study found that the transmission of indigenous
knowledge systems from the elderly to the youth was hampered by conversions to new
religions, attainment of formal education and the lack of written documents that explained
the specific indigenous conservation methods. Indigenous conservation knowledge is
therefore an asset that needs to be tapped to sustainably conserve the landscape along with the biodiversity in the forests. The study recommended the streamlining of government
policies on forest conservation to incorporate both scientific and indigenous knowledge
systems for conservation of community natural resources. The study also recommended the
importance of augmenting conservation measures in order to safeguard the ecosystem
services that biodiversity provides and human society needs. Current anthropogenic threats
may lead to detrimental and irreversible ecosystem degradation. The findings provide strong
arguments to strengthen the case for further research which should be focused on evaluating
the response of ecological communities to various anthropogenic pressures. The study
specifically recommended the securing of Boni forest by giving it full protection,
empowerment of Community Forest Associations (CFAs) and development of a participatory
forest management plan.
Key Words: Indigenous knowledge systems, species composition, species density, threats,clearance for agriculture. | en_US |
