PREAMBLE
This report is a summary of the climate change hearing workshop that took place in Loitoktok on the 5th March 2010 at Kibos Lodge. Climate change is considered as a serious threat to sustainable development and is affecting all sectors of the economy. Most particularly the tourism sector is greatly affected and environmental conservation efforts should be emphasized. The residents of Loitoktok depend mainly on tourism and pastrolism for their livelihoods, climate change has affected the livelihoods of many in this area.
This report therefore summarizes the proceedings that took place between the residents of Loitoktok and Kenya Climate Change Working Group and the event organizers Community Conservation Pastrolism Forum.
INTRODUCTION
Climate change is considered to be the most serious threat to sustainable development, globally, regionally and locally. Impacts of climate change are affecting many sectors such as environment, human health, food security, economic activities, natural resources and physical infrastructure. There is therefore need to influence climate change policy and legislation in Kenya to strengthen Kenya's voice in climate change responses activities with emphasis to adaptation and climate change. This would enable effective lobbying and advocacy on matters pertinent to climate change. Climate change adaptation for agricultural systems i.e. Livestock, forestry and cropping requires high resilience against both excess of water; due to high intensity rainfall and lack of water due to extended drought periods. The adaptation measures on South Rift were discussed as follows during the one day workshop.
He invited the participants to introduce themselves and later on thanked them for availing themselves for the meeting. Among the participants included area councilors, chief, farmers, KCCWG team, representative from the forestry department Loitoktok, representative from the Kenya Wildlife Service and reporters from K24 and People's Magazine (see attendance list). The participants expectations were voiced as follows
Mr. Kioli introduced KCCWG to the participants. He said the Kenya Climate Change Working Group was formed early last year with the aim of bringing together Civil Society Networks and Organizations, partner organizations and other non-state actors working in the area of climate change. Initially, climate change initiatives were coordinated from the Forest Action Network (FAN) and from the Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers (KENFAP).
GLOBAL WARMING BILL
Since April 2009, the Kenya Climate Change working group has purposefully planned and implemented climate response activities as one network and also as individual members. Some of the activities implemented include the thematic research on impacts of climate change on 7 out of the eight sectors (water, energy, tourism, infrastructure and housing, conflict over natural resources and Agriculture, livestock and fisheries and Tourism) with an emphasis to identifying the issues that need to be considered when writing the global warming bill (climate change bill) for Kenya. These have already been put into a draft legislation in preparation for parliamentary debate, a process which is ongoing, and is undertaken by the Global Warming Bill Group. The bill will provide a framework for the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change to make provision for the reduction of green house gas emissions to provide for the giving of advice to the government to impose climate change duties on public bodies; to make provisions for energy efficiency; to make provision for the reduction and recycling of waste and for connected purposes.
He further added KCCWG were present there inorder to
'There is need to establish that there is a problem and identify with it so as to deal with it' he said. He encouraged participations from those present since their opinions wer really pertinent in this forum since it will enable to chart a way forward for South Rift.
“The changing climate is about growing of trees or lack of it thereof” he started. The factors that cause climate change from the very begining is clearing of vegetation in order to build a house. He further went on to say that the water levels in the rivers have gone down due to the fact that the residnets of Loitoktok are cutting down trees for charcoal and also plant the wrong type of trees along river banks. He said that in the past South Rift did not engage in cultivation and this is a relatively new concept in this part. Due to this reason, it has led to vast tracks of land being cleared for cultivation and has since reduced the numeber of trees in the area. Lack of trees has led to decreased rainfall amounts and subsequently crop failure leading to food insecurity in these areas. He urged the residents of the area to visit the forest office once they see that their land is drying up to get assistance.
He insisted that people should avoid cutting down trees since they were a source of water which came from Mt. Kilimanjaro. The opinion form the forestry department is that the changing climate is caused by lack of trees. He posed the question how would Kenya be if they used gas instead of charcoal for fuel so as to reduce dependence on trees for energy? He added that there should be a programme to use of renewable source of energy to reduce dependence on trees for fuel. Trees change the micro climate of an area thus maintaining a cool atmosphere. There should be a policy stating that a quarter of every land should be covered in trees. The farms in Loitoktok do not have trees and this would be good when they plant trees on a certain portion of their land. He said that the ball is now on the residents court on reducing the impacts of climate change and the forestry department are making efforts to ease the work on climate change issues. He gave an example of Machakos; where the residents have planted trees on their farms and reap incomes from cultivation as well as the trees.
After thanking the participants for coming to the meeting, he acknowledged that many of the participants knew about climate change. What really happens when we talk about climate change? He asked. In the past there was specific weather patterns but now the weather patterns have become erratic. Pastoral communities of North Eastern have lost their livelihoods due to climate change. According to most farmers in the past had specific planting times since the weather has changed during harvesting time theres no crop. He added from observation that Mt.Kilimajaro once had a thick layer of snow but it has been melting down over time just like Mt. Kenya in Central Province where the snow has completley dissappeared. Climate change has caused diseases such as malaria to occur and most especially in the highlands wehre it was non-existent.
Putting all these facts together it has led to poverty creation and thus questions on how can we help each other to tackle this scourge keep on cropping up. Agriculture being the backbone of the Kenyan economy has severly been affected by climate change. From the human rights perspective, we see that the Annex1 countries are those that are causing climate change due to Green House Gases (GHG) emissions. The effect of climate change are seen even in those areas that are still not yet degraded. The questions of how can we help ourselves seems to crop up. Some of the adaptation options would include;
Responses
The forester, Mr. James Kithoko said that the forestry department has seedling in various places and if anyone wanted to obtain them then they will be able to access the seedlings. Other programmes are put in place when they want to plant trees like they are currently planting trees in a forest nearby. He said that there is so far no license for cutting trees in Kenya. He said that to obtain the seedlings, they have a pilot project in schools where the people can access the seedlings for planting. The forest cover of Tanzania is still OK because of the stringent policies that they have in place and thus why they are able to maintain their forest cover.
Agents of climate change are usually emissions of green house gases and these include carbon dioxide, methane into the atmosphere. Most of the time when we cut trees which are meant for purification of the atmosphere the green house gases are not absorbed thus leads to the depletion of the ozone layer. This has in effect led to the earth becoming warmer and people often say that the sun has come closer to the ground.
Wetlands can only be conserved through planting of trees and not cutting them. The climate may not be stable now as in the past where all seasons were systematic. Nowadays the weather pattern is erratic and there is therefore need for farmers to just look for ways of planting crops through observation. Studies have not yet been done if there is going to be stability again or not.
In the afternoon session the participants were divided into 3 groups each group was meant to answer one question each. These questions were
RESPONSES
GROUP WORK
1. What do you think could be the role of Loitoktok Community in integrating climate change into Kenyan Laws?
2. What adaptation options should Loitoktok or South Rift communities prioritize to build resilience to climate change?
“The changing climate is about growing of trees or lack of it thereof” he started. The factors that cause climate change from the very begining is clearing of vegetation in order to build a house. He further went on to say that the water levels in the rivers have gone down due to the fact that the residnets of Loitoktok are cutting down trees for charcoal and also plant the wrong type of trees along river banks. He said that in the past South Rift did not engage in cultivation and this is a relatively new concept in this part. Due to this reason, it has led to vast tracks of land being cleared for cultivation and has since reduced the numeber of trees in the area. Lack of trees has led to decreased rainfall amounts and subsequently crop failure leading to food insecurity in these areas. He urged the residents of the area to visit the forest office once they see that their land is drying up to get assistance.
He insisted that people should avoid cutting down trees since they were a source of water which came from Mt. Kilimanjaro. The opinion form the forestry department is that the changing climate is caused by lack of trees. He posed the question how would Kenya be if they used gas instead of charcoal for fuel so as to reduce dependence on trees for energy? He added that there should be a programme to use of renewable source of energy to reduce dependence on trees for fuel. Trees change the micro climate of an area thus maintaining a cool atmosphere. There should be a policy stating that a quarter of every land should be covered in trees. The farms in Loitoktok do not have trees and this would be good when they plant trees on a certain portion of their land. He said that the ball is now on the residents court on reducing the impacts of climate change and the forestry department are making efforts to ease the work on climate change issues. He gave an example of Machakos; where the residents have planted trees on their farms and reap incomes from cultivation as well as the trees.
After thanking the participants for coming to the meeting, he acknowledged that many of the participants knew about climate change. What really happens when we talk about climate change? He asked. In the past there was specific weather patterns but now the weather patterns have become erratic. Pastoral communities of North Eastern have lost their livelihoods due to climate change. According to most farmers in the past had specific planting times since the weather has changed during harvesting time theres no crop. He added from observation that Mt.Kilimajaro once had a thick layer of snow but it has been melting down over time just like Mt. Kenya in Central Province where the snow has completley dissappeared. Climate change has caused diseases such as malaria to occur and most especially in the highlands wehre it was non-existent.
Putting all these facts together it has led to poverty creation and thus questions on how can we help each other to tackle this scourge keep on cropping up. Agriculture being the backbone of the Kenyan economy has severly been affected by climate change. From the human rights perspective, we see that the Annex1 countries are those that are causing climate change due to Green House Gases (GHG) emissions. The effect of climate change are seen even in those areas that are still not yet degraded. The questions of how can we help ourselves seems to crop up. Some of the adaptation options would include;
There is therefore need to debate on these issues and as such PACJA which is an association of organizations that are not government in nature and is meant to lobby and advocate for the people who are suffering from the effects of lcimate change and how they can benefit the local community. (see annex 2).
Recently there has been an increase in awareness of climate change and its potential impacts – droughtsand the calamities brought about by flooding, El Nino, La Nina drought. Such extremities have direct socio-economic impacts. Rural communities are most vulnerable to such weather extremities. Sectors such as agriculture have been affected thereby challenging economic growth and have received significant interventions. Other sectors e.g. Tourism, are yet to receive significant attention.
Agriculture, pastoralism and other sectors of the economy have been affected by climate change from all sectors. Tourism helps the economy of Kenya alot e.g. Group ranches, tour guides etc. The trend of tourism act of 1990 stated that local communities should not access the wildlife areas. But things have since changed. From a global perspective we see that in 2012 there will be around 7 million-250 million people who will be water stressed (see annex 3). Tourists come from their countries as a way to escape the cold weather but due to global warming they will opt to stay in their homes and this will negatively impact our tourism industry negatively and also our GDP from tourism. Tourism on the other hand can also be a vessel of emitting carbon units. This is through the vessels that they use for traveling i.e. Airplanes etc. When the Mara river dries up the phenomenon of the wildebeest crossing the river will not happen and as such no tourists will come. Tourism can be a way towards curbing climate change through protection of our ecology through conservation of our group ranches to curb climate change.
Kilimanjaro ecosystem: The ecosystem of Kilimanjaro is affected in an intense way due to glacial meltdown. Generally the African glaciers are decreasing at a very alarming rate due to global warming and soon will not have any sites as these to see. However something can still be done by awareness creation on climate change. Use of renewable sources of energy should be encouraged and discourage unlawful practices like burning charcoal for fuel. (see annex 3).
The chairman thanked the organizers for the meeting since it touched the critical issues that they are facing i.e. Tourism, water and livestock. The forests in the Loitoktok area have diminished starting form Rombo to Burtot and also from Kulu to Olerai Selengaci. Our forests cover has been reduced by charcoal burning. Elephants have also contributed to this by knocking down acacia trees in our forests while trying to get the acacia fruits. This has led to reduction of forest cover. Water has also been a problem in this area. We understand the causes of climate change but we lack the capacity to practice better but encourage foreigners to practice on our land.
All group ranches have already started planting trees and boreholes have been sunk to ease access of water. The flow of information is really poor and there is need to come up with a good way of disseminating information to avoid information distortion. A meeting should be organized whereby first hand information can be obtained and a proper monitoring progress put in place. There is need to collaborate with neighboring countries like Tanzania to learn from them how they are able to maintain their forest cover which has direct impact on climate change.
He started by thanking KCCWG for coming to the meeting since they had just been hearing about it forsuch a long time. He said that in Tanzania they have a policy that trees should not be cut down and thats why they have such good forest cover. He said that these stringent policies and laws should be adopted to Kenyan law so as to help in saving our forests these laws should be incorporated into the global warming bill. There is need to do research on swampy areas.
He said that they are usually in the larger Kajiado North and Central Loitoktok division. He further went on to say that issues of environment and climate change they have an environmental committee. This committee conducts meeting and whatever is decided upon in these meetings they align them with policies and then implement them. The council looks into sewerage, garbage collection, they also have a small pilot project of seedling growth in primary schools. He said that there has been an influx of people in that area and as such led to problems in the sewer systems and this has posed a big challenge and has even led to conflicts among people directly impacting on development. The council has so far recommended to divide the council of Loitoktok so as to bring services nearer to the people.
He started by saying , “we are here to debate on issues that are pertinent to livelihoods of people. We are very shocked that ten years ago an article on depletion of the glacial snow on Mt. Kilimanjaro was produced and the reality of this has just hit us”. He further went on saying that there is need to educate people on the effects of climate change before it becomes much worse. Water depletion in the area has already started by channeling water sources to flower farms. The spill over of what was taken has led to swamps drying up and this has caused conflict between the farmers and pastoral communities in the area between people and wildlife. The swamps were causing a cooling effect and now the clouds over Chyulu usually pass over to the forests. In the 8th month there was waring of coasts and our leaders due to short political gains they cut trees. This decisions have led to the effects of the recent drought where most animals have died and had a negative impact on the livelihoods of many. The wildebeest number has reduced substantially and wildlife has been impacted negatively by climate change.
There is therefore need to have concreted efforts on i.e land education, leadership and government and natural resource management. There is also need to be part and parcel of development among the natives. The leaders should be brought together to bring new ideas by the environmental committee of the county council. The natives should not lease land to foreigners who only deplete the resources and leave if bare. There is also need for awareness programme which should be practical and effective.
Participants were then asked to ask questions from all the above speakers and the questions they asked were as follows:
Responses
The forester, Mr. James Kithoko said that the forestry department has seedling in various places and if anyone wanted to obtain them then they will be able to access the seedlings. Other programmes are put in place when they want to plant trees like they are currently planting trees in a forest nearby. He said that there is so far no license for cutting trees in Kenya. He said that to obtain the seedlings, they have a pilot project in schools where the people can access the seedlings for planting. The forest cover of Tanzania is still OK because of the stringent policies that they have in place and thus why they are able to maintain their forest cover.
Agents of climate change are usually emissions of green house gases and these include carbon dioxide, methane into the atmosphere. Most of the time when we cut trees which are meant for purification of the atmosphere the green house gases are not absorbed thus leads to the depletion of the ozone layer. This has in effect led to the earth becoming warmer and people often say that the sun has come closer to the ground.
Wetlands can only be conserved through planting of trees and not cutting them. The climate may not be stable now as in the past where all seasons were systematic. Nowadays the weather pattern is erratic and there is therefore need for farmers to just look for ways of planting crops through observation. Studies have not yet been done if there is going to be stability again or not.
In the afternoon session the participants were divided into 3 groups each group was meant to answer one question each. These questions were
RESPONSES
GROUP WORK
1. What do you think could be the role of Loitoktok Community in integrating climate change into Kenyan Laws?
2. What adaptation options should Loitoktok or South Rift communities prioritize to build resilience to climate change?
Kenya Climate Change Working Group Association,
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