Forest cover change and ecosystem services of Katimok forest reserve, Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract

Katimok Forest Reserve in Baringo County is an ecosystem that contributes immensely to the livelihoods of the communities living adjacent to it. Despite the several direct and indirect benefits that the forest offers to the surrounding communities, the ecosystem is increasingly threatened by deforestation, conversion to agricultural land, overgrazing and logging. This study was conducted to assess the effects of forest cover change on the ecosystem services in Katimok Forest Reserve with the purposes of highlighting the importance of the ecosystem to the community’s livelihood thereby, leading to sustainable utilization and management of this ecosystem. To quantify the changes, Landsat satellite images for the years 1985, 2001, and 2015 were used. Temperature and rainfall data were used to assess any changes in climate in the study area since1985 to 2015. Social survey research design was employed for this study. Household questionnaires, focus group discussions and field observations were used to assess the land use and land cover changes that have taken place within the period of study, and also determine the impacts that the changes have had on the ability of the forest to effectively provide ecosystem services. Land cover maps were prepared using supervised classification method and post classification technique was used to detect the changes in forest cover. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the social data and climatic data. The study findings indicated a decline in forest cover at the rate of 0.04% per year. The study also revealed three major land uses within the forest: dense forest, open forestland and built-up area. There was a significant association (x2 = 151.072, n = 80, df = 16, p<.05), between forest cover and ecosystem services. Therefore, a decrease in forest cover and changes in land use correspond to the sharp decline in ecosystem services that the forest provides (r = .515, n =100, p < .005). The results from the climate data shows a slight increase in temperature trend from 1985-2012 with mean annual temperature range of + or -1.44561. Similarly, the rainfall data shows an increasing trend, though not significantly. The study indicates that the observed forest degradation is as a result of observed anthropogenic activities, such as logging, infrastructural developments and expansion of agricultural activities, in and around the forest. It is therefore, important that the relevant forest resource management agencies formulate sustainable resource utilization options/strategies for the local communities to curb degradation of this life-supporting ecosystem.