Local communities, conservationists use science to restore Cherang'any

Caroline Kiplangat rummages through the thickets in the dense Kipteber Forest Block, in Elgeiyo-Marakwet County, as she searches for a particular herb.

Amidst the tweets of birds and screeches of insects, Caroline, who is the treasurer of the Cherang’any Cultural Group is adamant about getting the herbs that are now becoming a rare find.

The group brings together members of the indigenous Cherang’any community, which is also classified as one of the most marginalised communities in Kenya.

“Some years back when my grandmother used to take us to the forest to get these herbs, it was easier to find them. Currently, it is not easy to find them because people who do not know the value of these trees have been cutting them down,” Caroline says.

Kipteber Forest is part of the larger Cherang’any Hills catchment area that comprises 13 forest reserve blocks and traverses Trans-Nzoia, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot Counties.

It is a global biodiversity hotspot, and, locally, an Important Bird Area that hosts several species including those only found within Cherang’any. Some of the wildlife here are endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation and Nature.

“Cherang’any Hills ecosystem hosts some globally threatened and endemic species such as De Brazza’s Monkey, Crowned Eagle, Mountain bongo, Bearded Vulture among others,” Julius Kimani, Nature Kenya’s Cherang’any Site Project Manager says.

Covering approximately 270,276 and 172,879 hectares of the buffer zone, the water tower hosts critical headwaters for the Nzoia, Turkwel and Kerio rivers, draining into lakes Victoria and Turkana.

Besides supporting local households, the water tower is also the major source of water to the growing towns and the Turkwel, which hosts the third largest Hydro-power station in Kenya.

By 2018, the Kenya Water Towers Report estimated the economic value of Cherang’any at Sh47 billion.

However, despite the cultural, social, and economic importance of the water tower, local communities and conservationists are warning that the ongoing degradation, coupled with the impacts of climate change, continues to threaten the ecosystem.

Illegal logging that is fuelled by charcoal production, and clearing of forest cover for agriculture and settlement, has been highlighted as major threats to these forests.

Solomon Cherongos, the coordinator of Cherang’any Indigenous People, says most of the forest blocks within the ecosystem have been highly degraded and need critical action.

“During the 1960s through to 1980 when Cherang’any Hills forests were intact, communities here used indigenous knowledge to predict the weather, a practice that is no longer viable. Indigenous weather forecasting has been challenged by the impacts of climate change and degradation,” Cherongos says.

He adds that the region has experienced impacts of climate change that have resulted in flooding and displacement of local communities. The area, despite being an island, he says, has also experienced a spate of intense droughts.

“Cherang’any Hills forests should be monitored keenly because the slight changes will not only affect us, but also affect the region and even globally because it is of international significance,” Cherongos warns.

But Cherang’any Hills forests might soon be exhaling back the disappearing rivers and streams once a new research-based project that is being implemented by a consortium of organisations, sheds light on how natural resources in Cherang’any Hills Forests can be used in a way that maintains and enhances biodiversity.

Nature Kenya is leading the project in partnership with National Museums of Kenya, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Kenyatta University and the Kenya Forest Service. The project is being funded by the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate.

Joseph Mzozo, the Project Coordinator, says the consortium of agencies will work together to identify areas that are highly degraded for purposes of restoration.

“We are keen on the Cherang’any ecosystem because it is a major water tower that is heavily impacted by climate change. We are looking at how the ecosystem can balance needs of the people it is serving while maintaining its ability to provide these services in the face of climate change,” Mzozo says.

He adds that the project will also assess the ecosystem services, an aspect that will keenly evaluate the services the communities are benefitting directly from the forest.

Dr Paul Muoria, the lead expert of the project and a lecturer at Kenyatta University, says once the cultural, social, and economic values of Cherang’any have been established, it becomes easy to create awareness to different stakeholders including the community.

“Some of the ecosystem services we will be evaluating include the water services including the water used in homes and those used in industries that are dependent on dams and rivers within the ecosystem. We will also be evaluating the goods harvested from the forest like firewood, fruits among others,” Dr Muoria says.

He says that a report on the ecosystem services provided by the water tower alongside the monetary value of the services will be produced. He adds that although values like culture are difficult to put a value on, they will be featured in the report as values that deserve appreciation.

Local communities say the research that is currently ongoing within the ecosystem is important because it will fuse indigenous knowledge of conservation with science, to inform what can be done for its restoration.

Some community members have already been trained in data collection to undertake surveys from communities living around the water tower.

Once the research is completed by March 2025, scientists are then expected to develop solutions that will be applied by national and county governments, local communities, and conservation agencies to protect and sustainably use biological diversity for climate adaptation and mitigation.

The project is also expected to inform on conservation policies.