Abstract Background: Growing of trees on-farms has contributed significantly in easing pressure on the Kakamega–Nandi Forest Ecosystem. There are however concerns that Eucalyptus species is becoming the dominant tree in this landscape and may have adverse effects on the environment. Objectives: To determine the trade-offs in tree species selection and carbon offsets on farms in the margins of the Kakamega - Nandi Forest Ecosystem. Methodology: It employed a nested experimental design where...
Abstract Forest communities have had to globally endure evictions, sometimes forceful, due to the need for governments to conserve the environment by protecting forests from negative human actions. The Ogiek are hunters and gatherers and rely mainly on wild fruits, beekeeping, and game hunting as a source of livelihood. Animals, e.g., hyrax, were hunted. The Ogiek's lives and sources of livelihood are highly dependent on the forest. The Ogiek community of Mau Forest, Kenya, is a forest commu...
Abstract his paper presents the results and discussions of the objective of the study, which assessed the challenges and opportunities resulting from the evictions of the Ogiek people from the Mau Forest Complex. The study looked at the challenges faced by the Ogiek and the government following the evictions. Secondly, it examined the opportunities that the Ogiek community and the government experienced after the evictions. Public interest and human needs theories underpinned the study. The ...
Abstract Communicating climate change remains an integral aspect of the quest to manage the impacts of climate change. Communicating climate change largely takes the western scientific approach without much consideration of African traditional knowledge. Communicating climate change has not elicited the desired response from the community that lives adjacent to Kakamega Forest. Abaluhyia people have had ways of conserving their forests, which ensured their posterity. The study aimed to asses...
Abstract In the last several years information on the gut ecosystem of termites has continued to be gathered. Most studies have been focused on wood feeding termites but studies on soil feeders remain sparse owing to their difficulty of establishing permanent laboratory cultures. The aim of this study was to isolate, characterize and identify bacteria resident in the soil feeding termite gut, mound and parent soil of Cubitermes species with the potential to produce antibiotics and enzymes fo...
Abstract: Forests are believed to play critical ecological, social, cultural, and economic role to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Kenya and even all over the world. Forestry Provisioning Ecosystem Services (FPES) contribute significantly to smallholder farmers‘ livelihoods though this contribution is sometimes not accounted for. Understanding the role played by FPES to the livelihood of smallscale farmers is crucial for sustainable management of the forest resources. This study ...
Abstract: The collective efforts made through Development Studies to mitigate natural resource-based conflict like those associated with the environment serve the purpose of improving the good quality of human life. Good quality lifestyle is demonstrated through global, regional, national food and nutrition security. Moreover, it extends to water safety that involves climate change mitigation, enhances societal peace and security of having access to natural resources, additionally, education...
Abstract: Conflict prevalence is a multi-dynamic issue which has the power to convert a developing region into a ghost area. The media all over the world has been used as a medium of conveying information from one source to another. Depending on how the recipient conceives the information, elaboration of these information’s can take many forms and influences decision making directly. The array of the importance of media in determining how information is used will shed light on how the Maas...
Abstract: Deforestation is one of the major environmental problems the world is faced with in the 21' century. What is labeled as "forest crime" is known for being one contributing factor that may lead to land deforestation. Forest offences such as illegal logging, poaching and charcoal burning are some of the activities that partly affect these habitats. In Kenya, forest offences are often incentivized by international and local demand for forest goods. These practices are often carried out...
Abstract: A floristic study of the Thicket vegetation in the Licmiti Forest Reserve, southern Mozambique, was undertaken. Observations on the structure and range of this unique vegetation type, its species composition, level of endemism and utilisation are provided. A literature review of the physical environment, soils, climate, vegetation and flora, as well as historical background, is presented. The Licuati Thicket covers an area of about 14 000 ha, which is about 35% of the 40 000 ha cov...
Abstract: Tropical forests are shrinking worldwide. This is mainly because human beings, in a bid to obtain a livelihood, have overexploited their timber and non-timber products. At Arabuko Sokoke Forest (ASF), Kenya, community-driven conservation projects have been initiated, to ensure that the people can draw a livelihood from this vital ecosystem without destroying it. Among the projects involved is apiculture in the vicinity of the forest. Although some studies have been carried out on v...
Abstract: Ecological restoration has the potential to stem the tide of habitat loss, fragmentation and transformation that are the main threats to global biological diversity and ecosystem services. Through this thesis, I aimed to evaluate the ecological consequences of a 33 year old rehabilitation programme for coastal dune forest conservation. The mining company Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) initiated what is now the longest running rehabilitation programme in South Africa in 1977. Managemen...
Abstract: Human appropriation of natural resources, and the consequent loss of habitats, means that ecological restoration may in the future become a vital conservation tool. For this to happen, we have to understand the processes and factors that govern community assembly, and their management. Here I analyze data on community structure (richness, evenness, diversity, composition) of assemblages (millipedes, spiders, dung beetles, plants, birds, rodents), and on soil chemical and physical p...
Abstract: Ecological restoration that aims to reinstate indigenous processes may be constrained by regional and local conditions, especially those that drive dispersal and colonisation. Local conditions can be managed, while regional conditions cannot. The management of costly rehabilitation programmes is considered best practice when scientifically informed. My thesis documents the responses of biological communities to a range of local conditions developing in coastal dune habitats in resp...
Abstract: Cellulases are complex hydrolytic enzymes working synergistically on the hydrolysis of cellulose to produce smaller sugar components including glucose units. These enzymes have tremendous environmental, industrial and agricultural applications including enhancement of the degradability of lignocellulosic materials. In this research fungal isolates were isolated from forest and compost soil samples and allowed to produce cellulases; and the extent to which the cellulases enhance the...