Connecting poverty and ecosystem services: focus on Kenya

How are Africa’s ecosystems faring? This report provides a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in Kenya and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. This paper is one in a series of seven country scoping studies.

The objective of the series is to identify the regions within the countries where critical ecosystem services for human well-being are stressed, signalling the need for immediate attention. This information is expected to guide the selection of potential areas where more detailed assessments can be carried out. Lessons learned can then be used together with new knowledge gathered on the links between ecosystem services and human well-being to design intervention strategies that would seek to promote the reduction of poverty and improve well-being while protecting and enhancing vital ecosystem services.

The Kenya country study finds that:

• all ecosystem services and constituents of human well-being are stressed and threatened in all provinces except Nyanza and Western provinces, making prioritisation difficult
• Kenya’s system of protected areas is facing increasing pressure for woodfuel and food as land outside their boundaries is being transformed into agricultural land
• encroachment on protected areas also impacts catchments that regulate water supply which is especially important in Kenya as it has a relatively low internal renewal water rate
• scarcity of water and energy, and the gathering of wild foods add to the burden of women and children who must spend more time gathering these necessities, which takes away from their agricultural productivity thereby increasing their economic and nourishment vulnerabilities
• agricultural productivity is declining and more work is needed to examine how to increase productivity and value by harnessing more sustainable land management practices
• relying on woodfuel and charcoal for energy demands is unsustainable and alternative energy sources will have to be identified. In addition, a sustainable biomass energy plan may provide some solutions for curbing woodfuel shortages.

Kenya’s ecosystem services revealed four critically stressed ecosystem services: maintenance of biodiversity; food and fibre provision; water supply, purification and regulation; and fuel provision. In terms of services related to human well-being, the report finds the following wanting: the ability to be adequately nourished; the ability to access adequate clean water; the ability to have energy and to keep warm; and the ability to earn a livelihood.