INFLUENCE OF DISTANCE ON FOREST UTILIZATION AND PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN CONSERVATION OF SOUTH WEST MAU FOREST, KENYA

Abstract

Intensity of use of forest and involvement of neighboring communities in conservation is not uniform. It is suspected that they reduce as one is located away from forest edge. This study looked at how individual’s distance from forest edge influences their access to forest resources and their participation in conservation. The purpose of the study was to determine: i) how forest utilization varies with distance from forest edge ii) how distance of an individual’s location from South West Mau forest border influence CFA membership iii) participation of local community members in conservation along distance gradient. A total of 360 households were interviewed along six transects of six kilometers across the study area. First ten households within every kilometer of each transect were sampled. Sampling was conducted to accommodate equal number of males and females as well as youth and old. For each respondent, the number of forest uses, CFA membership and participation index were determined. The results indicated that forest utilization, CFA membership, and participation in conservation decrease as one is located further away from forest. All forest uses studied showed a decreasing trend on increasing distance. Among the forest uses tested firewood, pasture, initiation, praying, and marriage indicated significant variation with distance. However, Honey, seeds/seedlings and herbal medicine were not significantly different along distance. The overall participation index (PI) is 0.6 indicating that the locals occasionally participate in conservation activities. At distance 1, 2 and 3 kilometers from forest edge the members often participate in conservation with PI of 0.7 and 0.8. However, after five kilometers they rarely participate in conservation. Forest utilization, CFA membership and participation of locals in forest conservation planning are influenced by distance in which an individual is located from the forest edge. Conservation planning and management of forests needs to involve community members who are close to the forest as much as possible especially within three kilometers distance from the forest.