The structure and species composition of undisturbed natural forests serve as benchmarks for understanding forest carbon storage potential for reduced carbon emissions. Even though Kenya is seeking to stabilize forest cover, reverse degradation and increase forest cover through mechanisms such as REDD+, there is relatively little information on inherent forest carbon storage potential or its response to disturbance. Comparative studies were undertaken in three remnant fragments of indigenous forests in Taita Hills, Kenya to characterize the structure and forest carbon storage potential of undisturbed, moderately and heavily disturbed sites within these forests. The sensitivity of forest carbon storage estimates to different methods of tree biomass estimation were also examined, including estimates which used DBH, tree height and wood density from extracted tree cores. Disturbance altered the forest structure, reduced species diversity and decreased the capacity of the forests to sequester carbon. The forests' capacity to sequester carbon reduced by between 9.2% and 70.7% depending on the site (forest fragment) and level of disturbance. Models with DBH and wood density gave higher quantities of carbon of between 0.9% and 44.4% for sites exhibiting different levels of disturbance. The present results suggest that disturbance had strong influence on forest structure, species diversity and carbon stocks and therefore maintaining the forests' ecological integrity over the long-term may prove difficult if the frequency and intensity of disturbance increases. Moreover, development and implementation of effective mitigation strategies to reduce carbon emissions will require the use of local biomass models since they are accurate.
Governments are pushing for decentralization of forestry governance, but in Loita community forest, the traditional community management organization is inviting government and other stakeholders to participate in the forests' management. This study was undertaken through questionnaires, Focus Group Discussion, Key Informant Interviews, and participant observation. Loita community forest is a community forest supposed to be managed by the County Government on behalf of the community since the community is not registered as a legal entity to manage and own the forest as required by the Land Act. The community was practically managing the forest under Traditional Community Based Forest Management. The community leadership was faltering, resulting in forest degradation. This challenge was being mitigated by inviting (pluralism) other stakeholders to enhance forest management capacity. There was fear that the national government's inclusion in Loita forest management may result in inequitable sharing of power and authority and further weaken the community governance systems. This emerging governance regime lacks; a strategy for strengthening the capacity of the traditional community organization, legal framework, and some of the partners joining have extensive network and power with potential for disfranchising the traditional organization through introducing and or amending the traditional regulations to satisfy their interests. There is a need to develop partnership guidelines to guide the pluralism scenario emerging to support the sustainable management of Loita forest and ensure community traditional organization's transformation does not weaken or replace the community organization.
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