State of the Forests of Shimoni - 2011

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In 2003 the total surface area of forest around Shimoni was 1100 hectares; it would take a man at least two whole days to walk around it. Over the past eight years, more than half of the forest has disappeared, less than 500 hectares is still intact and any point within the forest could be easily reached with a morning saunter. The last remaining big trees are being cut with power saws from the forest daily. Wood is used for furniture and building locally as well as supplying a far wider area. On any day, tens of people from as far as Ukunda attempt to produce charcoal, destroying vast amounts of forest with each new pit. Charcoal from Shimoni is known as the cheapest charcoal on the South Coast and at least forty 10kg bags leave Shimoni each day.Last but not least, land is being sold and resold, cleared, developed upon and fenced off, mostly by people from outside Shimoni, with strong financial capacity.

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Zeno A. Wijtten P.O. box 10 Shimoni 80409

Dear Sir/Madam, In 2003 the total surface area of forest around Shimoni was 1100 hectares; it would take a man at least two whole days to walk around it. Over the past eight years, more than half of the forest has disappeared, less than 500 hectares is still intact and any point within the forest could be easily reached with a morning saunter. The last remaining big trees are being cut with power saws from the forest daily. Wood is used for furniture and building locally as well as supplying a far wider area. On any day, tens of people from as far as Ukunda attempt to produce charcoal, destroying vast amounts of forest with each new pit. Charcoal from Shimoni is known as the cheapest charcoal on the South Coast and at least forty 10kg bags leave Shimoni each day. Last but not least, land is being sold and resold, cleared, developed upon and fenced off, mostly by people from outside Shimoni, with strong financial capacity. Legal basis for these activities is often lacking or, at the very least not clear. By Kenyan law, anybody would need a permit to bring down any tree, even if this tree would be on their own land. Since 1986, there is a specific ban on the harvesting of trees from public lands to make charcoal. Development, on any land that is closer than 30 meters to the sea-shore, is also not allowed. On top of this, the presence of several endangered and critically endangered species would make active protection of the forests - regulated by international treaties signed by the Kenyan government - mandatory. Enforcing laws and regulations however, has proven to be challenging. Authorities strongly depend on local acceptance, which is often quite low. They certainly lack resources, knowledge and man-power. On top of this, possibly even more important, exact allotments of responsibilities for each institution are unclear. The loss of any more forest might severely hamper Shimoni’s development. Although Shimoni was originally a fishing community; with the institution of the Kisite Mpguti Marine Protected Area it has become highly dependent on tourism. A good quality coastal forest would have huge tourism potential generating direct revenues up to KES 600,000 and indirect up to KES 6,000,000. It is important to remember that deforestation has key implications for the wellbeing of the marine park as well. The coastal forest surrounding Shimoni is based on a very thin layer of soil on top of ancient coral rag reef exposed by falling

sea levels millions of years ago. Deforestation leaves the forest susceptible to rapid soil erosion during the rainy seasons in particular. Increased sedimentation from soil erosion will lead to a decrease in water clarity which will limit the amount of light reaching coral reefs, if this continues to happen coral reefs can undergo bleaching and die. This would have serious consequences for the thriving tourism industry currently generated by the marine park. For decades forests have provided local villagers with a source of building materials. Timber of a suitable size can be used to make traditional canoes for fishing; small branches are commonly used as the framework for the houses in the village or fishing traps, and dead wood is collected every day for small cooking fires. GVI was asked to begin marine and forest research by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) as previously there had been very little research conducted in the area. The study results are alarming. It is important however, to make clear that it is by no means GVIs position nor is it GVIs intention to actively engage in forest protection. GVI can, and will merely support and inform our partners, authorities and stakeholders, to the best of our abilities, as we do here. I would be very happy to work with you further, explain or provide more information at your request. Sincerely,

Zeno Wijtten, Terrestrial Programme Officer GVI

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List of acronyms
FSF GVI IUCN KFS KWS NMK Friends of Shimoni forest Global Vision International International Union for the Conservation of Nature Kenya Forestry Service Kenya Wildlife Service National Museums of Kenya

© Global Vision International

Shimoni Forest
Shimoni is one of the last remaining coastal forest patches in Kenya. The Eastern Africa Coastal Forests Eco-region stretches from North Somalia to South Mozambique and is also one of the smallest of the 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots recognized by Conservation International. By definition an area is considered a hotspot when it contains a high level of endemic species. Due to its small size the density of endemic species in this eco-region is among the highest in the world. The region boasts the highest density of endemic plant and vertebrate species, of all 25.

visiting ornithologists from BirdLife International have identified 127 species of birds in Shimoni forests, 3 of which are recognized as threatened species and one as critically endangered. These are, Fischer´s Turaco (Tauraco fischeri), Southernbanded Snake Eagle (Circaetus fasciolatus), Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes neglectus), and Spotted Ground Thrush (Zoothera guttata), respectively. Of the 273 species of plants that have been recorded in the Shimoni area, 24 have some form of rarity status. Four of these are considered rare in the world, namely Barleria whytei, Indigofera tanganyikensis var paucijuga, Manilkara sp aff. discolor and Queenslandiella sp aff hyalina. As well as having high biological importance the local forests also have high socio-economic value. For decades forests have provided local villagers with a source of income and building materials. Timber of a suitable size can be used to make traditional canoes for fishing; small branches are commonly used as the framework for the houses in the village where as larger pieces of timber can be used as building materials for doors and other furniture.

Peters’s Angola Black-and white Colobus (left), Fischer’s Turaco (right) both species could be seen frequently in the forests around Shimoni but are now under severe pressure from forest degradation.

These habitats are home to many rare and endemic species of particular interest to biological conservation. The Peters’s Angola black and white Colobus monkey, Colobus angolensis palliatus, is a subspecies of one of five species of black and white Colobus found in Africa and represents a flagship species for Kenya´s coastal forests. C. a. palliatus has a discontinuous distribution from the southern coastal and gallery forests of eastern Tanzania, into south-eastern Kenya. Its Kenyan distribution runs from the Tanzanian border, to the border between Kwale District and Mombasa town (Anderson et al., 2007), having already been exterminated from coastal forests North of Mombasa. BirdLife International (WWF East Africa Conservation Action Plan 2005-2010) has defined part of the Coastal Forest Mosaic as an “Endemic Bird Area”. GVI and

Typical dug-out fishing canoe, being constructed traditionally by hand out of a single mango tree.

The East African Coastal forests are clearly of great importance for a number of reasons however they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Although the traditional uses of the forest are sustainable what is occurring now is mass deforestation not only to support the local community but also to mass

© Global Vision International

produce materials such as charcoal and timber to support and sell to a much wider community. It is important to remember that deforestation has important implications for the wellbeing of the marine park as well as the terrestrial environment. The coastal forest surrounding Shimoni is based on a very thin layer of soil on top of ancient coral rag reef exposed by falling sea levels millions of years ago. Deforestation leaves the forest susceptible to rapid GVI was asked to begin marine and forest research by KWS as previously there had been very little research conducted in the area. The overall methodology for the terrestrial research programme is structured around a transect grid system utilising east-west straight line transects. Parallel transects are spaced at 200 metre intervals. This follows the Tropical Ecology, Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Initiative, Primate Monitoring Protocol (Lacher 2005). Two surveys that GVI carry out are focussed on canopy size and disturbance inventory. 1000 900 800 700 Forest cover 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1980 1990 2000 Year 2010 2020 Shimoni East Shimoni West

soil erosion during the rainy seasons in particular. Increased sedimentation from soil erosion will lead to a decrease in water clarity which will limit the amount of light reaching coral reefs, if this continues to happen coral reefs can undergo bleaching and die. This would have serious consequences for the thriving tourism industry currently generated by the marine park. Disturbance surveys are vital for assessing the levels of anthropogenic disturbance and destruction that are rife in the forest. For disturbance surveys, a 10 meter wide strip (5 meters either side of the transect) is surveyed, and all human disturbance is recorded. This includes poles (stumps with a diameter between 5 and 15 cm), timber (stumps with a diameter greater than 15 cm), pitsaws, charcoal pits, fires, snares and clearings. When surveying canopy the height and percentage of canopy cover is recoded every 10 meter along set transect using specialist equipment. By comparing data from both surveys taken over the years we can see how many trees have been removed, how this has affected the canopy cover and also enables us to pinpoint concentrated areas of deforestation. At present there are three main reasons for the rapid destruction of the forest; land development, timber production and charcoal production. The removal of any wood from the forest without a permit is illegal however this law is rarely enforced and therefore seldom adhered to. An added difficulty with regulating the rate at which wood is removed is the complicated issue of land ownership and development. The rate at which trees are being cut down and removed from the forest at present is unsustainable and will quickly lead to the disappearance of this highly valuable biodiversity hotspot.

Forest cover declining from 1990, showing predictions for the next three years

© Global Vision International

Land development
As both economy and population are growing, land around Shimoni is being developed in a rapid rate. Land is sold and permissions for development are implicitly or explicitly given by authorities as well as the Shimoni community. Almost all development and any plot of land sold results in direct loss of coastal forest. In 2010 and 2011 coastal plots, mainly on the Eastside of Shimoni have been fenced off, made accessible, and are actively being cleared on a daily basis. This has resulted in destruction of one of the most valuable habitats for wildlife on the south coast of Kenya. With no form of apparent spatial planning it is likely that destruction increases over the next few years. Soil run-off potential is already increasing dramatically, black-and-white Colobus food-trees are being cut-down and important bird habitat is lost. Many of these developments are irreversible and actors do not seem to account for any of the severe negative impacts they will have on future generations or the future of Shimoni.

Illegal logging, Shimoni 2010

Trees of a suitable size are cut down and then sawn into planks of timber before being taken out of the forest. Some of this timber is used in Shimoni to build basic furniture however the majority of it is taken out of the village for wider distribution. Traditionally trees were felled before being cut into canoes or used in the building of local houses, these traditional small scale uses for timber are perfectly sustainable and are still practiced. The forests surrounding Shimoni will not last long however if large amounts of timber continue to be removed for wider sale. Taking timber away from Shimoni also means that the community on a whole receives no benefit from the timber and instead is just losing their source of a traditional livelihood. Hopes for a highly sustainable forest eco-tourism and revenues

Landmark, boundaries

demarcating

officially

designated

status

and

Illegal logging
The removal of any wood from public ground is illegal without the appropriate permit signed by the Kenya Forestry Service and the village sub-chief. Currently however there is no form of active enforcement of this law.

© Global Vision International

like they are known now from the KMMPA Park are being crushed.

Shimoni which will produce and sell this alternative charcoal.

Charcoal production
Charcoal burning is an illegal practice involving the slow burning of wood to produce charcoal. GVI frequently encounters large burning charcoal pits in the forest often with little or no effort made to hide them. This again is evidence of the lack of perceived risk associated with destructive illegal practices as a source of income. Once again, similar to the sale of timber, the majority of charcoal made in the forest surrounding Shimoni is taken straight out of the village to be sold on the main road or shipped as far as Tanzania. This means that few people other than those making it benefit from this unsustainable practice.

Illegal charcoal production, Shimoni 2010

GVI is currently working with Shimoni environmental association on alternative livelihoods projects stimulating the production of alternative charcoal. The charcoal briquettes are composed of shredded paper to bind a mixture of assorted biomass such as leaf litter, coconut shavings and bark. All components are placed into a mould before being loaded into a specially made press which then compresses the briquette. This alternative charcoal is cheaper to buy and does not require deforestation to produce. Shimoni environmental association are currently in the final stages of setting up a shop in

© Global Vision International

Visualization of forest degradation (1)

These three forest cover maps were constructed using a cartographic map (1990), a satellite image (2003) and a combination of satellite imagery and GIS data (2011). Forest cover shows dramatic decrease over a 20 year time-span.

© Global Vision International

Visualization of forest degradation (2)

Disturbance occurances
7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2015 2020 2025 2045
This figure is illustrating the decline in relative forest cover around Shimoni for 1990, 2003 and 2011.

This graph is showing the number of recorded disturbance occurrences in Shimoni’s forest on the vertical axis, and an increase of these activities over time (horizontal axis)

© Global Vision International

Conclusion
Without direct individual action from all actors – local, commercial and governmental – the forests of Shimoni will be something from the past. A choice has to be made right now between high-end development, resulting in short-term benefits for some and sustainable development resulting in longterm benefits for all. Within a few years the forests will be degraded beyond recovery. Those that make their living using forest resources like carpenters, charcoal producers and now even forest guides will lose their main livelihood. GVI in partnership with a number of community groups is providing training alternative livelihood options and raises environmental awareness because we together with the Kenya Wildlife Service believe strongly in integrated conservation.

Contact information
Zeno Wijtten (Terrestrial Programme Officer, GVI Kenya) PO Box 10, 80409 Shimoni, Kenya [email protected] Phone: +254 700774392 Graham Corti (Regional Director GVI, Africa) [email protected] Andrew Hayes (Base Manager GVI, Kenya) [email protected]

Literature
Anderson, J., Rowcliffe, J. and Cowlishaw, G. (2007) The Angola black-and-white Colobus (Colobus angolensis palliatus) in Kenya: historical range contraction and current conservation status. Am. J. Primatol. 69: 664–680. WWF-EARPO. (2002) Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa: Draft Action Plan. Nairobi: WWF-EARPO.

© Global Vision International

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