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The illusion of participatory forest management success in nature conservation

Biodiversity and Conservation volume 29, pages 1923–1936 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Participatory forest management (PFM) is a major approach towards the reconciliation of biodiversity conservation and human livelihood needs. PFM was implemented around the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest (ASF), the largest remaining forest block of the East African coastal forest of southern Kenya, during the early 1990s. While forest cover has remained stable, there is evidence for persistent selective logging with subsequent reduction of habitat quality and a steady decline in biodiversity. We conducted structured surveys and semi-structured expert interviews to investigate the efficiency and acceptance of PFM by the local community. Hereby we considered two ethnic groups: The Waatha, the first known occupiers of the ASF, and the Giriama, recent settlers. We assessed the level of local awareness based on indigenous and modern ecological knowledge, peoples´ attitudes towards forest conservation, and their willingness to apply good environmental practices. Our quantitative analysis revealed low awareness of the uniqueness of biodiversity in ASF. Male respondents and those with higher formal education or indigenous knowledge, and long-term residents show significantly higher awareness. Majority (80%) of participants perceive the forest as being of high socioeconomic relevance and is a very important ecosystem service provider. However, less than half of the respondents express personal responsibility towards the conservation of this forest. The Waatha people show significantly higher scores on traditional ecological knowledge, willingness and personal responsibility towards forest conservation than the recent settlers, the Giriama. This study underlines that successful PFM depends on inter-ethnic relations and the history of the local people living in the ecosystem.

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Fig. 1

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Acknowledgements

We thank the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD for funding fieldwork and for providing a PhD scholarship to JM Nzau. Special appreciation to all the local people and official representatives of KWS, KFS, KEFRI, NMK, Nature Kenya, A Rocha Kenya, Friends of Arabuko Sokoke forest, local organizations and private environmental activists for taking part in surveys and expert interviews. We are grateful to Lozi Maranga and Tobias Bedzko for their help in the field, and Mike Teucher for creating Fig. 1. We thank for critical comments by two anonymous referees on a draft version of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical University Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Joslyn Muthio Nzau

  2. Faculty of Forest Science and Resource Management, Technical University Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Elizabeth Gosling

  3. Higher Education Development Research Group, Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, University of Vechta, 49377, Vechta, Germany

    Marco Rieckmann

  4. Department of Social Sciences, Pwani University, Box 195-80108, Kilifi, Kenya

    Halimu Shauri

  5. Evolutionary Zoology, Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, 5020, Salzburg, Austria

    Jan Christian Habel

Authors
  1. Joslyn Muthio Nzau
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  2. Elizabeth Gosling
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  3. Marco Rieckmann
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  4. Halimu Shauri
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  5. Jan Christian Habel
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Correspondence to Joslyn Muthio Nzau.

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Communicated by David Hawksworth.

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This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Biodiversity appreciation and engagement.

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Nzau, J.M., Gosling, E., Rieckmann, M. et al. The illusion of participatory forest management success in nature conservation. Biodivers Conserv 29, 1923–1936 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-01954-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-01954-2

Keywords

  • Awareness
  • Attitudes
  • Biodiversity hotspot
  • Ethnicity
  • Forest conservation
  • Local communities
  • Nature conservation
  • Willingness

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