Abstract Mangroves around the world are being threatened by a combination of natural and human factors. Losses of mangroves leads to reduced forest cover and enhanced carbon emission. This study assessed cover change, forest structure, natural regeneration, and carbon stocks of mangroves in Lamu County, Kenya. Landsat images were used to assess cover change from 1990 to 2019, and structural data were obtained in the field using the plot method. Using stratified random design, mangroves were ...
Abstract Mangrove forests provide harvestable wood and non-wood resources to human society around the world. The current study evaluated value chain of mangrove wood products from Lamu County, Kenya, and how these impacts on resources’ sustainability. To assess structure and yield data of Lamu mangroves, stratified random sampling design was used in the different blocks. Quadrats measuring 20 m × 20 m were established along transects, running perpendicular to the shoreline covering differ...
Abstract Mangrove forests occur across a diversity of coastal landforms with different geomorphological, climatic and oceanographic influences. These factors influence mangrove structural development and productivity and as a result, the structural development of mangroves varies with the coastal geomorphology. Earlier inventory studies in Kenya suggest that mangroves growing in north of the Tana River have different structural attributes from those growing south of the river. The current st...
Abstract In Kenya, rice is an important staple crop after wheat and maize and the rate of consumption surpasses its production. Apart from consumption, rice is a cash crop for smallholder farmers including those in Kirinyaga County. Despite its usefulness in contributing to food security, rice production has remained low due to various constraints. Among these are plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) that account for up to 20% of yield losses. Other than the deleterious effect of PPN, rice agroec...
Abstract In Kenya, rice is an important staple crop after wheat and maize and the rate of consumption surpasses its production. Apart from consumption, rice is a cash crop for smallholder farmers including those in Kirinyaga County. Despite its usefulness in contributing to food security, rice production has remained low due to various constraints. Among these are plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) that account for up to 20% of yield losses. Other than the deleterious effect of PPN, rice agroec...
Abstract Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a wild Suidae native in Europe, North West Africa and Asia. The population of wild boar has drastically increased during the last threedecades in Southern and Central Sweden. This increase in population density has caused severe damages to agricultural fields thus affecting the agricultural economy.There has been a significant loss of wheat, worth over 60 - 70 million Euros between1990 - 2016 due to crop damage by wild boar. This study sought to investigate...
Abstract Somalia is one of the most drought prone countries in Africa. Drought is the country’s costliest natural disaster. The impact of drought events on the economy, on people`s livelihoods and on lives has grown. Drought events usually develop gradually unnoticed, causing tremendous effects on both agriculture and environment. This study evaluated the spatio-temporal variations of drought occurrences in Somalia and its implication on forest cover. In this study, precipitation and tempe...
Abstract The demand for non-renewable fossil fuel has greatly increased in the last few years from 84 million barrels of fossil fuel per day in 1980’s to over 100 million barrels per day in 1990. To supplement this demand, research on alternative sources has been going on since 1960’s in different parts of the world. Among the alternative sources, the phytoplanktons have shown great promise due to their high oil yield in comparison to energy crops. In Kenya, despite the occurrence of hig...
Abstract Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important food crop consumed throughout Africa. However, sweet potato yields are greatly reduced by pests including plant parasitic nematodes. Management of nematodes in sweet potato fields in Kenya has mainly been through the use of nematicides and crop rotation which have limitations. The use of resistant sweet potato cultivars along with other low-cost organic amendments is the most economical, effective, and environmentally safe method of ...
Abstract: The study was conducted on Gondola Mountain forest in Melka Bello Woreda, East Harerghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, to determine the floristic composition, vegetation structure, species diversity, species richness, dominance and regeneration status of woody species. Vegetation data were gathered from 50 quadrats of 20 m x 20 m (400 m2) laid systematically along 5 transects. In each quadrat, live woody species were recorded with their number counted and DBH measured for t...
Abstract: Ethiopia, has a long history of using traditional medicinal plants to combat various human and livestock ailments. The purpose of this study was to collect, identify and document traditional medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge of communities of the study area. A total of 100 informants ages >25 were selected to collect information on traditional medicinal plant use from three sampled kebeles. Out of these, 14 key informants (12 male and 2 female) were purposively s...
Abstract: The study was conducted on Gemechis natural forest, West Hararghe, Oromia Regional state, Ethiopia with the objective of determining the floristic composition, structural analysis and regeneration of wood plant species. Systematic sampling was used to collect vegetation data. Accordingly,50 sampling quadrats of 20 m x 20 m were laid along six line transects at every 50 m interval within which five 5 m x 5 m small quadrats were laied to sample woody species with 2cm. Fifty one (51) ...
Abstract: The study was conducted in Getta district with the objective of assessing home garden practices and plant species diversity. From purposively selected sample Kebeles', random sampling method and selection of key informants related to indigenous knowledge of home garden was used. Sample plots of 10mx10m laid randomly on homgarden and woody plant species (DBH>2cm) was recorded. 5 small plots (2mx2m) one from the center and one from each corner of big plot was laid to record herbaceou...
Abstract: The Colobus monkey (Colobus guereza) is black and white in color, distributed mainly in forests and savanna woodlands. They are easily be identified by a combination of facial features and tail morphology from other primates; they are also among ideal subjects to study animal abundance and feeding ecology. A cross sectional survey was conducted to provide and document baseline information regarding the population size, feeding ecology and threats to C. guereza in Beteria Forest, Aw...
Abstract: Although forest biosphere reserve interventions are crucial for sustaining forest ecological functions and services, there is a dearth of information on whether the biosphere reserves in the southwest of Ethiopia contribute to the offset of the three intermingled contemporary challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, and livelihood sustainability. This dissertation therefore aimed to quantify (i) land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics and its driver in Sheka Forest Bios...