Conference Book of Abstracts - Taita Taveta University College

Notably though, the Kenya coastal forests are facing unprecedented threats from bothanthropogenic and natural forces. The threats on coastal forests include: excision, unsustainableforest resource collection, charcoal burning, industrialization, urbanization and mining, amongothers. These threats are caused partly by - increased human population and activities; poverty,unregulated use of forest resources, insufficient local and national institutional capacities, policygaps and weaknesses, lack of alternative means of livelihood, among others. These threats arecompounded by the effects of the rather new concept of climate change on Forests, which mayresult in unprecedented scenario in forest conservation, details of which may not be clearlypredicted nor comprehended. Given that Kenya is entering the devolved governance system, anda considerable responsibility of Environmental policy formulation will be shouldered on theCounty Governments, chances are that the Kenya Coastal forests will be managed in a discrete,myopic approach, serving the limited interests and understanding of the Counties. Consideringthe historical sectarian management of natural resources in Kenya, the Kenya Coastal Forestspatches are further likely to be segmented from an ecosystem perspective to forest fragments thatlack continuity or connections.The opportunities for conservation of Kenya Coastal forests lie in the reviewed managementregime, where regions are likely to take lead in conserving their ecological areas. The KFS hasalso mainstreamed Participatory Forest Management (PFM) system and increased communityparticipation in forest management through FCCs and CFAs. This is a positive score as theKenya Coastal communities have from time immemorial been custodians and conservationists ofthe forests. There is also an increased interest in conservation by various institutions (researchand academic institutions, government and non-government organizations). Institutions of higherlearning, e.g. Pwani University College, have included Botanic Garden with IK and Biodiversityconservation as one of the indices for their performance evaluation.ReferencesBurgess, N.D., G.P. Clarke, & W.A. Rodgers. 1998c. Coastal Forests of eastern Africa: status, species endemismand its possible causes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 64: 337–367.Janzen, D.H. 1988. Management of habitat fragments in tropical dry forests. Annals Missouri Botanical Garden 75:105-106.Kokwaro, J.O. 1976. Medicinal Plants of East Africa. East African Literature Bureau, Nairobi, Kenya.Pakia M. & JA. Cooke 2003. The ethnobotany of the Midzichenda tribes of the coastal forest areas in Kenya: 1.General perspective and non-medicinal plant uses. South African Journal of Botany 69 (3): 370- 381.Robertson, S.A. & W. R.Q. Luke. 1993. Kenya Coastal Forests. WWF, Nairobi.