Local | PANORAMA

Stakeholder Mapping & Engagement

Lake Naivasha

NACOFA

Local community awareness forums

NACOFA

To effectively address the degradation of Lake Naivasha, it's essential to understand the activities of other local actors in the area. This building block focuses on stakeholder mapping and engagement, aiming to harmonize efforts, avoid duplication, and identify the key priorities and concerns of different stakeholders. By coordinating actions and aligning objectives, the initiative can more effectively tackle the environmental challenges facing Lake Naivasha.

The mapping exercise must be inclusive, involving all key actors such as development partners, community networks, county governments, and national government bodies.
It is vital for the county government to lead stakeholder efforts, ensuring alignment and understanding across the county. Their leadership is also critical due to the heightened governmental scrutiny on conservation and restoration activities.
Pre-existing strong relationships with key stakeholders make it easier to map, communicate, and address key issues and priorities effectively.

Multi-stakeholder meetings led by the county government are preferred to harmonize restoration issues and efforts across the county.
It may be beneficial to map more NGOs working at the local level, as their integration could provide a better understanding of restoration efforts across Lake Naivasha.
Engaging the broader private sector can be challenging unless there is direct funding support for the program. For example, horticultural institutions involved in flower farming share concerns about lake pollution, which could serve as a potential entry point for future discussions.

Community sensitization on environmental issues

A degraded Forest site in Aberdare

NACOFA

Aberdare moor land

NACOFA

This building block focuses on engaging directly with local communities through face-to-face interactions and site visits to every forest block. We worked closely with the community to discuss the impact of forest degradation on agriculture, livelihoods, and the natural environment. On-the-ground visits ensured a deep understanding of the issues and secured community buy-in for the program. These efforts were carried out in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), which played a key role in validating and supporting the initiative.

The presence of KFS added significant value to the efforts, especially with the introduction of new forestry laws. It reassured the community that they could co-manage their lands, improving their livelihoods. KFS’s involvement provided a sense of ownership and legitimacy, motivating community participation.
Communicating in the local native language facilitated quicker access to information, better understanding, and more effective implementation of initiatives by the community.
Tailoring direct communication to meet the specific needs of the local community was vital for successful community sensitization and engagement.

Sensitization is an ongoing process. Regular meetings and continuous communication are essential to maintaining open dialogue with local actors. Since policies and legislation are constantly evolving, it’s important to engage and update the community frequently.
Linking partners such as government entities, communities, and CSOs to address local issues increases the success of the programs.
The transition from national to county-level management of land and restoration efforts can present challenges, particularly in resource management. The complexity of working across different levels of government can impact resource management and program implementation.
This building block provides an opportunity to empower communities to take ownership of their land and address environmental issues directly, fostering a sense of responsibility and stewardship.

Implementation

Local

Inclusive and Participatory Research

A community tree nursery at North Kinangop Forest station

NACOFA

Loading seedlings for transportation to planting site at South Kinangop Forest Station by CFA and KFS staff.

NACOFA

Planting seedlings at Geta forest station

NACOFA

CFA members transporting seedlings to riparian restoration sites

NACOFA

Monitoring (survival count) of seedlings on restored sites at South Kinangop forest station

NACOFA

Intercropping maize with trees on a forest restoration site

NACOFA

The community was directly engaged during this research to gain a clear understanding of the impacts affecting them.

NACOFA and WWF-Kenya recognized the concerns raised by the community, county government, and horticulture industry regarding reduced river flow and water supply to the lake, which threatened their investments and livelihoods. A study was conducted in collaboration with Water Resource User Associations (WRUAs) in the region, revealing that the root cause of the problem was forest and landscape degradation, along with poor farm management practices in riparian areas.

Our strong relationship with WWF Kenya allowed us to integrate their deep understanding of local issues into our research, building on existing knowledge rather than starting from scratch.
Strong relationships and networking with local government and CFAs helped us gain a better understanding of the issues and facilitated greater access to local communities, enabling a more participatory approach in our research.

By improving livelihoods through restoration programs, we found it easier to engage more youth in our research, as they had already benefited directly from these projects.
Securing buy-in from the government and Kenya Forestry Service was simpler because they had previously witnessed the benefits of our initiatives.
We gained an enhanced understanding of the native tree species that are more resilient and grow faster in this specific ecosystem.

Planning phase

Local

Monitoring and research

Monitoring of planted seedlings for restoration and conservation purpose

Monitoring and research

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Monitoring and research

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Monitoring and evaluation allows us to effectively keep track of how the plants are doing by regulaurly studying the microsite conditions. The purpose is to gather information that helps us understand what works and what needs improvement. Continuous research allows us to adjust our methods for better results.

Resource availability: Access to tools, trained personnel, and financial support for effective monitoring is crucial to gather reliable data. A regular data collection and analysis allow us to better appreciate species performances and factors that impact seedlings establishment.

Monitoring and research are important for data sharing. Based on soil properties predominantly related to the African Black Walnut development our findings shed light on how soil parameters contribute to species distribution at the fine scale. Thus, we found new information concerning the habitat requirements which are quite interesting and valuable for the ex-situ management and conservation of Mansonia altissima.

Monitoring

Local

National

Partnerships: indigenous people and local communities engagement

Indigenous people and local communities engagement in the restoration activities

Some indigenous people engaged in the solution implementation

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Some indigenous people engaged in the solution implementation

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Collaboration with indigenous people and local communities (IP&LC) and organizations is essential. Through community engagement we are able to mobilise IP&LC in helping to protect the forests and restoration sites and support our efforts. By working together, everyone can contribute to the conservation goals and increase success.

Mutual trust and communication are essential to build strong relationships with IP&LC and organizations for successful restoration actions. IP&LC can include farmers and wildlife wardensm. Oorganizations can include forest offices. To build and maintain strong relationships, we have learned that impactful engagement with IP&LC requires developing shared objectives to keep everyone focused and motivated toward common conservation goals.

We faced challenges when trying to engage IP&LC without first understanding their needs and perspectives. Take time to listen and involve them in the process from the beginning to foster better cooperation. Engage with IP&LC through consultations and identification of species that are important for them and can help improve success

Implementation

Local

National

Identify and prepare suitable planting microsites, especially protected sites with suitable conditions that can support the species growth

Soil sampling

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

The purpose is to find the best locations for planting the seedlings. We look for microsites with suitable biotic and abiotic conditions that will help the plants thrive. Identifying suitable microsites involves performing soil physical and chemical analysis. Preparing these microsites involves clearing weeds and making sure the soil is ready for new plants.

The soil quality and accessibility are important as soil nutrient and permeability state are vital for seedling survival and growth. The microsites should be easily accessible to ensure maintenance activities and monitoring.

Identifying suitable microsites can take time and requires thorough soil analysis. We discovered that not all nutrient-rich areas are easily accessible, so having backup microsites is helpful. Additionally, clearing the microsites effectively is vital to ensure no competing plants hinder seedling growth.

Implementation

Local

National

Seed collection, germination, and seedling production

Samara fruits of Mansonia altissima

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Fruits of Mansonia altissima

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Seedlings of Mansonia altissima

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Making materials avilable to initiatite the restoration and conservation process for the plantation of seedlings. The purpose is to ensure that we have enough young plants for the species introduction into the identified protected forest ecosystems. We collected seeds from the existing population of the target species and sowed them in polyethylene bags filled with forest soil at the forest nursery. This block also focuses on providing the right care and environment for young seedlings to grow strong. It includes watering, protection from pests, and ensuring they get enough sunlight. Healthy seedlings are more likely to survive when planted. We raised the prouted seedlings for six months in field conditions before planting them.

As conditions important for successful seedling production, conservationists need high-quality and healthy seeds, a nursery with poor light-penetrated shading, a permanent water source, containers, and a medium. Establishing a reliable schedule for watering, fertilizing, and monitoring light conditions helps seedlings to grow faster. Regular checks for pests and diseases are necessary to protect seedlings and ensure healthy growth of plants.

Mass production of seedlings for restoration and conservation requires many financial resources and human capital for nursery care. However, this is a way to secure the establishment of planted trees in forest ecosystems. We also learned that seeds of different species may require tailored germination techniques. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to grow seedlings of all species. It is crucial to understand the specific needs of each seed type before starting.

Implementation

Local

National

West and Central Africa

Conservation of Critically Endangered Tree Species: The Case of the African Black Walnut (Mansonia altissima A. Chev.) in Benin

Adigla Appolinaire

Wédjangnon

Seed collection, germination, and seedling production

Identify and prepare suitable planting microsites, especially protected sites with suitable conditions that can support the species growth

Partnerships: indigenous people and local communities engagement

Monitoring and research

West and Central Africa

Conservation of Critically Endangered Tree Species: The Case of the African Black Walnut (Mansonia altissima A. Chev.) in Benin

Adigla Appolinaire

Wédjangnon

Seed collection, germination, and seedling production

Identify and prepare suitable planting microsites, especially protected sites with suitable conditions that can support the species growth

Partnerships: indigenous people and local communities engagement

Monitoring and research

Enterprise development through value chain enhancement to sustain tree cultivation and improve livelihoods

The tree farmers are encouraged to participate in different value chains/enterprises developed for alternative income sources rather than depending on tree and land sale cutting for income.

Access to arable land on farmers' private properties and within the central forest reserve enables farmers to cultivate various crops, raise poultry, and rear small ruminants, all of which are in high demand and have readily available markets.
Technical support from FAO on value chains development and the accelerator programs to support with making the farmers business ready and youth upskilling. In partnership with Rural Communities in Development(RUCID) designed skilling program for girls and women in the following enterprises; Bakery, Juice, wine, roots and cereal processing, Banana, coffee and organic input production and briquattes making for fuel energy all aimed at income generation for the women and girls.

Agribusiness practices that integrate mixed farming with tree growing offer a sustainable approach to restoration. This method enhances plant, crop, and soil health by leveraging the natural benefits that different species provide to each other. In turn, crops can support tree health by preventing soil erosion and enhancing soil structure. This complementary relationship promotes a more resilient and productive agricultural system, fostering long-term ecological balance and sustainability.
Farmers practicing mixed agriculture within an agribusiness framework benefit from diversified sources of income and food. This approach mitigates the risks associated with climate change, such as prolonged droughts or floods, by not relying on a single crop or enterprise. Diversified farming systems ensure that if one crop fails due to adverse weather conditions, other crops or agricultural activities can provide income and sustenance. This reduces vulnerability and enhances food security, allowing farmers to sustain their livelihoods despite environmental challenges.
For long-term sustainability, farmers must align their expenditures with various income sources. It is crucial to have a daily income source to cover ongoing expenses and manage financial risks effectively. Diversified income streams from mixed farming, including crops, livestock, and tree products, provide a steady cash flow that can support daily needs and unexpected expenses. This financial resilience enables farmers to invest in their land and resources continuously, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and improving overall economic stability.

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