Tana Delta Irrigation Project, Kenya: An Environmental Assessment

Rehabilitation of the Tana Delta Irrigation Project, Kenya: An Environmental Assessment.
It should be noted that the S-E study produces evidence that the pastoralist communities use
some of this strip for cultivation. The use of the law to move them should be coupled with
integration into the irrigation project with the allocation of their own plots.
East/West Connections
Concurrent with the roughly north/south establishment of the ‘River Strip’, these then need to
be cross linked to the existing forest patches. Three corridors are envisaged (Appendix 6):
• Sailoni/Kulesa – linking 65 to 48 to the riverbank
• Wema/Bvumbwe – linking 66 to 68 to 56 to the riverbank
• Lango ya Shimba/Hewani/Baandi – linking 67 to 63 to 64 to the river bank
Although somewhat bigger that the area originally set aside by TARDA for reforestation, the
only real loss to the paddy fields are two areas, one in Block B between forests 66 and 68 and
another in Block E between forests 63 and 64. The width of the corridors has been chosen
arbitrarily and can be adjusted to suit various parameters.
Woodlots - Flood irrigation
Both the Socio Economic and the Primatological studies suggest that the irrigated fields
should not be operated for rice production alone. Diversification into other irrigated crops
(vegetables, fruit trees etc) will be of huge benefit to the local communities and, with the
inclusion of some cattle fodder production, be a much needed mechanism for bringing the
pastoralist community into the scheme and lessen the historical conflict between them and
the agriculturalists.
It is recommended here that, as part of this diversification, the mixed woodlots and some of
the proposed corridors are flood irrigated where possible. This will have a huge impact on the
rate of establishing them (therefore lessen the time before first harvest) and increase
production of wood products per unit area.
Buffer zones
This is a possible idea for the bigger areas in which fuel wood harvest is allowed on edges
only, with faster growing species planted on outside and indigenous nearer the core.
Management issues that should be considered are:
i. The areas where different extractive forest uses are permitted must be very clearly
defined so that there can be no misunderstanding about it.
ii. Community members must be involved in mapping, demarcating and deciding how
these areas are utilised. (Similar to what is being done at Dida, in Arabuko-Sokoke FR.
Perhaps a visit to this area for some TDIP community members should be planned).
Recovery Programme Redlisted Species
The two species that deserve some consideration are the tree Cynometra lukei and the
woody herb Megalochlamys tanaensis. The former is known from a similar habitat in the
Selous GR and Kalunga forest, both in Tanzania. It is also known from further upriver in
TRNPR and is therefore not considered in need of major intervention at this time. The efforts
to preserve and extend the existing Cynometra rich forests 66, 67, and 68 should be
sufficient.
On the other hand, the Megalochlamys appears to be very much « critically endangered »
and immediate effort should be made, in conjunction with NMK, to collect some material and
begin cultivation and multiplication. This plant will probably respond well to vegetative
propagation, but seed collections should also be made. The TARDA nursery should hold a
reservoir and supervise the eventual reintroduction programme to the forests when and where
suitable.
Baboon control
Much ill feeling was expressed by villagers towards forest conservation and enlargement if
this meant increased numbers of baboons. It was stated that, although TARDA had
encouraged KWS to remove baboons from the area early in the history of the project, very
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