Significance of Bird Monitoring in Promoting Ecotourism

1
Significance of Bird Monitoring in Promoting
Ecotourism

• Fred Barasa Munyekenye
• Nature Kenya

2
Outline

• Why birds
• IBAs
• Characteristics of Ecotourism
• Opportunities of avifauna in ecotourism
• Challenges to ecotourism

3
Why birds?(1)

• Birds are a component of biodiversity, a global
  resource of immense value, largely ignored and
  abused.
• Birds are part of the human culture, e.g.
  honey-guides, national emblems, stamps, hotel
  names, etc
• Birds bring people together, especially through
  migration. Soaring birds (Eritrea and Ethiopia,
  Israel/Palestine)

4
Why birds ..(2)?

• Economic development
• Ecotourism i.e. bird watching a big industry
• Food i.e. sustainable game hunting, domestication
  of chicken, Turkey, ostrich, Guinefowl.
• Ecological interactions i.e. seed dispersal and
  pollination, pest control Immense value
• Problem species Agriculture, air travel,
  diseases

5
Birds and the environment

• Indicator role
• Where the most biodiverse sites are located _
  IBAs/KBAs
• Indicators of the quality of the habitats on
  which life depends DDT, climate change,
• Management effectiveness e.g. logging

6
Why birds ..(2)?

• Economic development
• Birds are beautiful, well researched and their
  distribution known and hence good for Ecotourism
• i.e. Bird watching a big industry

Cashing in on birds
7
Why birds (3)
8
These elegant birds and other biodiversity need
to survive
9
Birds are beautiful
10
(No Transcript)
11
Birds IBAs

• The IBA programme is Worldwide project of
  BirdLife International
• Identifies, monitors and protects a network of
  critical sites for the worlds birds
• Nature Kenyas conservation action for IBAs is
  both at national and site level i.e.
• Species actions plans
• Identification
• monitoring of IBAs
• The development and empowerment of Site Support
  Groups (SSGs)
• linking conservation with development and poverty
  alleviation thro income generating activities

12
Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

• The IBAs are sites of global biodiversity
  conservation importance, chosen using
  agreed-upon, objective, quantitative and
  scientifically defensible criteria.
• Aims at identifying, monitoring and protecting a
  network of critical sites for the worlds birds
• Sites with high diversity of birds ALSO show high
  diversity of plants, mammals and invertebrates
  life

13
What makes a Site Qualify?

• 1.0 Globally threatened bird species - species of
  global conservation concern/threatened with
  extinction
• 2.0 Restricted - Range species Species whose
  total distribution range on earth is lt50,000KM2
• 3.0 Biome restricted species - Birds Species
  restricted to particular broad habitat types.
• 4.0. Congregations of Bird Species-Where large
  population of birds occur together annually or
  seasonally

14

• Kenyas IBA sites

15
Ecotourism

• Is environmentally responsible travel and
  visitation to relatively undisturbed natural
  areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature
  that promotes conservation, has low negative
  visitor impact, and provides for beneficially
  active socio-economic involvement of local
  populations

16
Characteristics of ecotourism

• Involves travel to natural destinations
• Builds environmental awareness
• Provides direct financial benefits for
  conservation
• Provides financial benefits and empowerment for
  local people
• Respects local culture

17
Equipment Training
18
Nature-based sustainable enterprises and forest
conservation
19
Birdwatchers at IBAs
20
Birds, bird watching Sustainable Natural
Resources use and management

• Ecotourism is a form of tourism that can favour
  conservation
• The communities appreciate biodiversity because
  of the monetary benefits/income they get as
• Small businesses
• guides/naturalists
• Income from accommodation/bandas
• Curios/crafts
• Ecotourism also creates awareness about
  biodiversity conservation because of the little
  impact it has on the environment

21
Monitoring

• Basic
• Detailed
• Common Bird Monitoring

22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
Monitoring in Kinangop Grasslands
25
Monitoring Wetlands
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
Challenges Threats to Ecotourism

• Lack of access to markets for local communities
  involved in ecotourism
• Lack of capital for local entrepreneurs e.g.
  Communities
• Changes in culture of local communities
• Mass tourism
• Poor infrastructure (roads, communications etc)
• Lack of capacity ecotourism still remains a new
  concept therefore a lot of awareness raising on
  its opportunities needed
• Large areas remain almost unexplored by
  ornithologists
• Insecurity (e.g. northern Frontiers)

29
Challenges Threats to Ecotourism

• Loss and modification of habitat forests,
  wetlands moist grasslands.
• Land cover change that destroys/devalues the
  integrity of sites

30
Threats and challenges to ecotourism

• Alien species (Water hyacinth, House crows)
• Conflict between economically sustainable and
  environmentally sustainable
• Pollution by agro-chemicals/industrial wastes
  i.e. Lake Naivasha
• Use of chemicals e.g. Furadan, Diclofenac in
  wildlife poisoning especially birds and mammals

31
Conclusion

• Sustainable natural resources is possible and
  feasible. Key ingredients are
• Good data
• Good planning
• Empowering stakeholders to take action
• Good decisions at policy level

32
Acknowledgements
Local Conservation Partners (LCPs)
33

• Thank you!!