The Contribution of Forest Products to Dryland Household Economy: The case of Kiang’ombe hill forest, Kenya

Ngugi, Grace; Newton, L. E.; Muasya, A.M.

doi:10.17348/era.9.0.163-180

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It has also been developed as a tool to assist in the economic assessment and valuation of ES (see, for example, Emerton 1996; Emerton and Mogaka 1996;Campbell and Scoones 1997;Ngugi et al 2011). Applied in this study, this exercise corresponded to a non-monetary implicit valuation of ES relative to each other.…”

Section: Ecosystem Services-related Preference Rankingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dependence of riparian communities on ecosystem services in northern Ghana

Mul¹,

Pettinotti²,

Amonoo³

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Working PapersThe publications in this series record the work and thinking of IWMI researchers, and knowledge that the Institute's scientific management feels is worthy of documenting. This series will ensure that scientific data and other information gathered or prepared as a part of the research work of the Institute are recorded and referenced. Working Papers could include project reports, case studies, conference or workshop proceedings, discussion papers or reports on progress of research, country-specific research reports, monographs, etc. Working Papers may be copublished, by IWMI and partner organizations.Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMIIWMI's mission is to provide evidence-based solutions to sustainably manage water and land resources for food security, people's livelihoods and the environment. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have a tangible impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health. IWMI Working Paper 179 Dependence of Riparian Communities on Ecosystem Services in Northern Ghana SummaryNatural infrastructure supports large parts of the rural communities in northern Ghana through the generation of ecosystem services that it provides. The provisioning of ecosystem services is a function of the seasonal nature of the climate in northern Ghana. Natural infrastructure enables food provision, which translates into food security and generates income through the year while providing an important safety net during the dry season. Rainfall is concentrated in the period from May to September followed by a long dry season. The river, responding to the climate, shows similar seasonality, flooding large parts of land during the rainy season and drying up during the dry season. Natural water infrastructure supporting riparian communities, such as headwater catchments, wetlands and seasonal floodplains, is affected by water resource development decisions. This study investigated the dependence of three riparian communities on ecosystem services in northern Ghana. In particular, the role of natural water infrastructure in supporting these ecosystem services. Participatory mapping and ranking exercises in gender-segregated groups were used to elicit information on the communities' livelihoods. The riparian communities are dependent on five types of natural infrastructure: forest reserves, shrubs and woodlands, riparian ponds, the White Volta River and floodplains. Different ecosystem services are derived from natural infrastructure and these enable livelihood activities. The most important activ...

show abstract

Section: Ecosystem Services-related Preference Rankingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dependence of riparian communities on ecosystem services in northern Ghana

Mul¹,

Pettinotti²,

Amonoo³

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Kiang'ombe Hill forest is located in Mbeere North District, Embu County ( Figure 1) and its surrounded by semi-humid to semi-arid Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) of Kenya (GOK, 2009). It occupies about 2000 ha of a predominantly indigenous forest, with less than 5% exotic plantations mainly found at the foot and top of the hill (Ngugi et al, 2011). There are also pockets of exotic plantations which include Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Pinus patula and Cupressus lusitanica.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Land cover change studies undertaken between 1987 and 2000 classified the vegetation of the hill as dense woodland (Maluki, 2007). In addition, an ethno-botanical study was undertaken to ascertain the forest condition and forest use by local communities (Ngugi et al, 2011). From the study, it was evident that despite the forest contributing about 55% to the household income, it has undergone a serious degradation, yet community members continue to derive their fuel wood, charcoal, timber and non-wood forest products from the forest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation composition and dynamics along degradation gradient of Kiangombe hill forest in the drylands of Kenya

Kigomo¹,

Muturi²,

Gachathi³

et al. 2015

J. Hortic. For.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Kiang'ombe hilltop forest is overexploited for fuel wood, charcoal, timber and non-wood forest products, thus threatening its biodiversity conservation role. The extent of forest degradation is not yet quantified and this impedes rehabilitation interventions. This study was conducted to evaluate the status of Kiang'ombe forest resources to initiate rehabilitation interventions and to support sustainable forest management. Remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) were used to determine trends of spatial and temporal vegetation changes over 25 years. Image analysis revealed high, moderate and low categories of forest degradation over the assessment period. Thirty two nested sample plots were used for vegetation inventory in the three degradation gradient clusters. Additional data was obtained from local informants through focused discussions and field observations. A total of 155 plant species belonging to 58 families were identified. Shannon Weiner diversity index of seedling and sapling were higher in low and moderate than in high degraded areas. Based on species importance values, the candidate trees for rehabilitation of degraded areas were Croton macrostachyus, Acacia hockii, Combretum molle and Faurea saligna whereas Enteropogon macrostachys, Cymbopogon sp., Eragrostis superba and Hyparrhenia rufa were the most suitable grass species for reseeding expansive glades. The recommended rehabilitation techniques are enrichment tree planting in water catchments areas, enhancing natural regeneration through protection and grazing management, gully healing at the hill slopes and establishment of woodlots plantations and boundary planting in the surrounding farmlands.

show abstract

“…Forest ecosystems support the surrounding communities' livelihood by providing a wide range of products, including food, firewood, timber, medicine, and other services such as soil conservation and water catchment (Ngugi et al, 2011). However, many forests are prone to human encroachment due to the rapid growth of the human population, leading to deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats (Gonçalves-Souza et al, 2020;Scanes, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kiango'mbe forest is very significant to the lives of surrounding communities since it serves as a source of livelihood and harbours sacred sites where traditional rituals are performed (Ngugi et al, 2011). The forest is surrounded by an ever-increasing population that is continuously encroaching on it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant species composition, abundance, diversity, and threats affecting their survival in Kiangombe and Kianjiru hills of Embu County, Kenya

Bibianne,

Gervason,

Elias

et al. 2024

Int. J. Biodivers. Conserv.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest cover loss is one of the major challenges facing Kenya; and there is insufficient data to guide sustainable biodiversity conservation stratagems. We determined the floristic and growth characteristics, plant species diversity, evenness, relative density, frequency, dominance, important value index, and indicators of biodiversity disturbance. From the 52 plots sampled in Kiang'ombe and Kianjiru hills, we recorded 472 plant species belonging to 90 families. Plants of the Poaceae family were the most abundant and the most diverse, contributing to 90% of all plant species in the study sites. In terms of growth forms, trees were the commonest, followed by herbs and shrubs, while climbers were the least common in both hills. Besides, Kiang'ombe hill had a higher population of herbs than Kianjiru hill. Besides, the Kiang'ombe hill had a higher species diversity (230 plant species; H'= 5.12) than Kianjiru hill (162 plant species; H'= 4.7). Notably, Vepris glandulosa and Euphorbia friesorum were endangered and vulnerable, respectively. Human activities, especially grazing, threatening plant existence and diversity were observed in the two studied hills. Therefore, the two hills are richly endowed with diverse plant species and are refugia for endemic and vulnerable species which should be conserved.

show abstract

The Contribution of Forest Products to Dryland Household Economy: The case of Kiang’ombe hill forest, Kenya

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Dependence of riparian communities on ecosystem services in northern Ghana

Dependence of riparian communities on ecosystem services in northern Ghana

Vegetation composition and dynamics along degradation gradient of Kiangombe hill forest in the drylands of Kenya

Plant species composition, abundance, diversity, and threats affecting their survival in Kiangombe and Kianjiru hills of Embu County, Kenya

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About