Community Roadmap to Environmental Conservation and Livelihoods Improvement: The experience of Kijabe Environment Volunteers

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Community Roadmap to Environmental Conservation
and Livelihoods Improvement The experience of
Kijabe Environment Volunteers At the Equator
Initiative Award Ceremony Barcelona, Spain 6th
0ct 2008By David KuriaKENVO, PO Box 49, 00221,
MatathiaKenyaWeb kenvokenya.com.
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Who are we?

• Community Based Non Government Organization
  working at Kikuyu Escapement forest in Central
  Kenya
• Vision To conserve the biologically rich Kikuyu
  Escarpment forests and other natural resources
  for their biodiversity importance and support to
  livelihoods of the local community.
• Membership organization

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Objectives and activities

• Facilitate community/farmers knowledge sharing
• Community awareness on the value and importance
  of the local forests and other natural resources
• Promote environmentally friendly income
  generating activities that improve community
  livelihood and biodiversity conservation.
• Gather and disseminate of information
  (conservation and livelihoods improvement)
• Supplement government conservation and
  development efforts at local level.

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Issues at Kikuyu Escarpment

• High population and small farming
  holdings-demands for forest products
• Illegal logging for charcoal and timber
  production
• Exclusive approaches in conservation
• Unemployment
• Conflicting policies
• Uncoordinated conservation efforts
• Limited and scattered information
• Poor involvement and recognition of local
  communities contribution

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KENVO interventions

• Environmental education and awareness
• Networking and information exchange
• Research and surveys- Local needs)
• Rehabilitation Programme
• Regular forest monitoring
• Formation of community committees
• Alternatives (Bee keeping, sale of seedlings and
  eco-tourism in process)

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Challenges

• Economy dictates of conservation
• Lack of resources
• Inadequate technical skills
• High expectations by the community
• Limiting policies
• Shifting global agenda (now it climate changes)
• Community fear and slow to accept change
• Depend on volunteerism at times is low

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Are there achievements?

• Developed local, national and international
  Partnerships
• Chosen as pilot site for testing Participatory
  Forest Management
• Rehabilitated more than 150 hectare of forest
  land
• Linked conservation to livelihoods
• Build trust between communities, govt and other
  stakeholders
• Reduced cases of forest destructions
• Facilitated a number information sharing
• Involved in development and environment
  committees

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Impacts

• Have put the landscape on the conservation map
• More locals are now more environmentally aware
  than before
• More young people and women are reached and
  involved in conservation activities
• Govt is more quick to act when an issues is
  raised
• Other sites learning from our landscape
• Have some nature based entrepreneurs thus source
  diversified and increased
• More forest land protected

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Lessons learned

• Balance conservation needs and local livelihoods
• Community needs adequate support and recognition
  of their contribution
• Active communities participation is essential
• Community mobilisation for biodiversity
  conservation is possible
• Local communities support projects with direct
  benefits and incentives to their daily lives
  e.g. improved agricultural practices andwater
  harvesting etc
• Community possess enormous knowledge about their
  resources
• Partnerships are key pillars to success

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Many Thanks for listening to me.