Participatory forest management system in urban forests in Kenya- A case of Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi, Kenya
Paper Details
Participatory forest management system in urban forests in Kenya- A case of Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract
Participatory forest management is a system where community is involved in management of forest. Studies on participatory forest management have majorly focused on forests in rural areas. Since its adoption in Kenya in 2007, it has been scantily documented how the system has been implemented in the urban forests. This study aims to explore how the system has been implemented in the urban forests in regards to institutional arrangement, roles and activities of the community. The study was done in Ngong Road forest in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Collection of data was done through questionnaires; review of forest reports and interviews and analyzed using frequencies and cross tabulation. It was found out that the membership Ngong Road forest association was constituted by heterogeneous membership of individual members from the community, NGOs and corporate organization. It was further found out that the community members come from two economic extremes of affluence and less affluence resulting to diverse forest conservation and activities. It was further noted that forest association plays a key role in implementing forest conservation activities. The study recommends that state should put mechanism to fund forest association. It is further recommended that in planning for forest management, the uniqueness of the forest and the surrounding community should be take into consideration.
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