Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Midterm Review Report Green Belt Movement 17 Sept –02 Oct 2009 Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem A Project implemented by the Green Belt Movement and supported by the French Agency for Development A report of the Mid Term Review Mission (CIRAD Consultancy Team, Nairobi, September, 17 - October 02, 2009) i Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Midterm Review Report Green Belt Movement 17 Sept –02 Oct 2009 ii Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Midterm Review Report Green Belt Movement 17 Sept –02 Oct 2009 Acknowledgements The consultancy team wishes to acknowledge the many people who were involved in different capacities to enable the realization of this evaluation mission and its corresponding midterm review report. The different Project stakeholders from the government: Kenya Wildlife Service, the Kenya Forest Service and the Water Resources Management Authority for their time and support; the donor community: the French Agency for Development, in particular, the United States Agency for International Development and The World Bank for their time and very valuable insight, staff of the Green Belt Movement both in the field and head office, the members of the Tree Nursery Groups and Networks, Green Rangers and Green Volunteers who gave so generously of their time and ideas. Also we acknowledge comments of the members of the Project steering organs-the Project Steering Committee and the Local Coordination Units whom we were able to interview. We would like to express in particular our appreciation of the many useful comments made by Professor Wangari Maathai- Chair/Founder/ Board Member, during the presentation of the draft report. Specifically, we wish to acknowledge, Ms Mercy Karunditu, Project Officer at Green Belt Movement, who not only programmed the Mid term review mission, but also involved herself very much in the mission and arranged the appropriate contacts, and Ms Hilda Kegode, assistant at CIRAD regional offices in Nairobi, who gave all her efforts to type and edit this report. iii Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Midterm Review Report Green Belt Movement 17 Sept –02 Oct 2009 iv Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Midterm Review Report Green Belt Movement 17 Sept –02 Oct 2009 Executive Summary 1. The Mid Term Review of the Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Project which is funded by AFD (Agence Française de Développement) and implemented by GBM (Green Belt Movement) was carried out from September 17th to October 2nd 2009 by 3 consultants: Denis Depommier, Agroforestry expert and Regional Director, CIRAD-Nairobi, Munene Kabengi, independent Development Consultant from Kenya, and Dominique Louppe, Senior Forestry Expert, CIRAD-Montpellier. 2. The main objective of the review was to formulate an independent and reasoned opinion on the Project, and specifically to: assess its progress towards its stated goals, assess the Project approach and methodology, identify constraints hindering such progress, provide recommendations for the remaining Project implementation period, and recommendations for a possible continuation / reorientation of the Project. Part 1: Analysis of the context of the Project - Kenya environment, rural development and management of natural resources. 3. Poverty, high population density, increasing needs for agricultural land, energy and building materials from wood in Central Kenya are the main causes of the degradation of the forests of the Aberdare range. As a result, close canopy forests of the country – including the Aberdare range- have regressed from 2.8% a century ago to 1.7% nowadays. 4. The new Forest Act of 2005 brings a new community based approach in the management of the forests. Participation of local population, through associations (CFA) and forest management plans in which they have real interests and significant returns is the basis of an integrated and sustainable management of the forests. 5. Kenya has a high biodiversity that is an important source of livelihood, especially for poor people in rural areas who may have a strong traditional ecological knowledge of native species and their management – and notably make large use of non woody products such as medicinal products, wild honey and fruits. 6. Mountain forests which are referred to as Kenya’s five “water towers” (of which the Aberdare Range,) can be used to delineate the upper watersheds of the major rivers which drain into the arid and semi-arid lands and are an indispensable source of water to grow crops, raise livestock, and support wildlife. They are also the main source of water and hydro- electricity for urban areas, particularly to Nairobi. The degradation of forests and other permanent ground covers of these water towers already had some dramatic consequences such as the drying up of many sources and the transformation of permanent rivers into temporary ones; so dams are running below their full capacities. Restoration of the tree cover in these water towers is a national priority. Fighting deforestation, illegal logging, overgrazing, etc. will not be possible without impacting on the local populations and their commitment. The Green Belt Movement 30 years of experience in tree planting in farmlands, its capacity to create awareness, and mobilize these populations are major assets to answer such a challenge. 7. The Aberdare range is situated in the heart of the Central Province and has been subjected to intensive tectonic disturbance and subsequent volcanic activity. It belongs as v Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Midterm Review Report Green Belt Movement 17 Sept –02 Oct 2009 well to the “Afromontane and Bamboo” bio geographic region. Climate is determined by altitude and wind exposition which affect rainfall. The highest annual rainfall is observed in the centre of the Aberdare range and on its Eastern and South Eastern slopes (P> 1500 mm/year) whereas the Southern and Western sides receive only 1000 to 1200 mm, even at high altitude (2500 m). Soils on the upper Eastern slopes of the mountain are of basaltic origin, dark reddish brown in colour, very deep, well drained clays which are naturally highly fertile (of alkaline nature). Soils on the Western side are more variable, being of medium to high fertility but interspersed with areas of lower fertility and poor drainage. 8. Socio-economic traits: More than 80% of the population of the Aberdare Region is rural.The population density is high: 278 inhabitants/km² 10 years ago, with densities of 450 to 550 in some districts and that may lie between 600 and 700 inhabitants/km² in 2009. The working force is composed of a majority of agriculturalists – Kikuyu for most of them. Maasai pastoralists and their livestock, seasonally occupy parts of Eastern side of the range such as the Kikuyu escarpment. The poverty line reaches 30 to 40% of that rural population. 9. Agro-ecological zones and land use in the Aberdare: Agriculture is the dominant land use: mixed farming (dairy cattle, food, and cash crops) characterizes this highly productive agricultural land, with large use of water from neighbouring forests. Land use can be classified according to the following zones: 1- The National Park (76700 ha) well protected thanks to its total fencing, altitude 2500-4000 m, vegetation: sub-alpine and alpine moorlands, close-canopy forests, bamboo forests; 2- The Gazetted Forests: altitude 2000-2500 m : higher elevations include most of Kenya’s densest and multilayered tree cover, but forests are locally much degraded; 3- The Tea-Dairy zone: altitude 1800- 2300 m, steep to very steep valley sides, high rainfall; tea which extended at the expenses of the forest, is dominated by small scale farmers, co-existing with big estates. 10. Forests and tree plantations in Aberdare cover about 148,000 ha and are part of the larger Aberdare forest ecosystem, including: the forest reserve (99,265 ha), the Kikuyu escarpment (36335 ha), and the Kipipiri Forest reserve (3900 ha) and the national park (76700 ha) – viz. a total of 216,200 ha; of which indigenous natural forests represent 36%, bamboo forests 33%, trees plantations 17%, grassland and bushland 14%. 11. Forest threats and management in the Aberdare range: The 2002 aerial survey carried out by UNEP shows an important level of destruction of the forest ecosystem surrounding the National Park by illegal activities such as charcoal production, tree logging, cultivation and overgrazing. But the electrical fences recently erected around the park should reduce the threats on it and allow the reconstitution of the natural resources, forest and water notably, Planting indigenous trees inside the fences should be a good opportunity to accelerate the reconstitution of the native forests (in 2006, the degraded forest to be rehabilitated in six initially targeted districts of the Project was estimated to 6,930 ha). The comparative aerial views (1987-2002) show also an extension of tree planting in farmlands. vi Rehabilitation of the Aberdare Forest Ecosystem Midterm Review Report Green Belt Movement 17 Sept –02 Oct 2009 12. Aberdare and wood production: Since the total ban on timber harvesting imposed in 1999, pressure on trees in farmlands and illegal cutting of wood continues irreparably in gazetted forests and plantations, whereas KFS plantations of exotic species in Gazetted areas could provide an important part of the timber production of the country. - National legal frameworks: 13. The 2005 Forests Act, addresses national and global challenges: the management of non gazetted forests and the participation of local communities and other stakeholders in forest management. This new Participatory Forest Management (PFM) approach is to be applied through memorandum of understanding between Community Forest Association (CFA) and KFS and appropriate forest management plan. GBM, through its own networks, and natural links with CFA is involved in the preparation of certain PFM plans that have been designed for various areas including the Aberdare and developed with the local populations. 14.