Nature's Benefits in Kenya
Nature's Benefits in Kenya

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781569736425

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The publication demonstrates the importance of using maps as an analytical and policy tool to examine the spatial distribution of poverty and ecosystem services in Kenya. Ecosystem services are the benefits people derive from ecosystems and include goods (food and water), services (flood and disease control), and nonmaterial benefits (spiritual and recreational benefits). A series of maps integrate poverty data from Kenya's most recent census with maps of regions in Kenya which are considered important for production of selected ecosystem services such as water (hydropower, access to drinking water, irrigation), food (crop and livestock), fuel, biodiversity, and tourism. The authors believe that users of Nature's Benefits: An Atlas of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being in Kenya will gain new insights on the spatial congruence of poverty and ecosystem services, improve targeting of programs addressing poverty and selected environmental services, and provide integrated datasets and methodologies for multi-scale use.

Kenya: A Natural Outlook
Kenya: A Natural Outlook

Author: John B. Kyalo Kiema

Publisher: Elsevier Inc. Chapters

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 23

ISBN-13: 0128083840

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This chapter begins with a synopsis of the basic concept of remote sensing with the various stages and interactions that characterize the entire remote sensing process described. A brief recapitulation of the status of stored water in Kenya is then presented. The monumental challenge facing many poor Kenyan households in accessing clean and safe water in sufficient quantities is reiterated. The chapter underscores the critical value of accurate and timely geospatial and hydro-meteorological datasets in supporting integrated water resources management. It is argued that the availability of techniques that deliver information on the changes in stored water at a more local scale is the first step towards realizing an efficient water society. Finally, two case studies that employ diverse remote sensing datasets to provide an evidence based explanation of the decline in stored water in Lakes Victoria and Naivasha are elucidated.

Kenya: A Natural Outlook
Kenya: A Natural Outlook

Author:

Publisher: Newnes

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 0444595473

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Kenya is a thriving country in East Africa: its economy is largely based on the natural environment that frames the tourism sector, mainly through safaris and holidays on the coast. The natural environment also underpins the second largest industry: agriculture. Kenya's social, technological, and industrial developments are a reference for many neighboring countries. Kenya plays a leading role in Africa and attracts huge amounts of investments. Furthermore, the humanitarian community has made Nairobi its base for international headquarters and regional offices. This makes Kenya a possible model for development and investment in its widest sense. This book aims at updating the holistic view on Kenya's natural environment and resources. It provides a sound scientific introduction to this country's physical and socioeconomic setting and its evolution through time and will appeal to a broad audience of students – in Kenya and abroad – as well as those working in the development and humanitarian sectors and to international donors looking for a scientific compendium on Kenya's environment. Its structure and references allow the reader to deepen his or her knowledge of every theme touched on in the book. - Combines different aspects of physical geography, water and soil resources and their management strategies - Written by a blend of international and national experts - Includes specific case studies

Kenya: A Natural Outlook
Kenya: A Natural Outlook

Author: Andreas B. Brink

Publisher: Elsevier Inc. Chapters

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 0128083905

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Monitoring vegetation dynamics and land cover change in Kenya are essential for the sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity conservation. However, accurate status of seasonal variation in vegetation and long-term land cover change data valid at the regional and country level generally do not exist or are hard to obtain. Here, we describe the various ecological regions of Kenya and the associated rainfall and land cover patterns of each ecological zone. This includes the use of low-resolution satellite data time series to characterise for each ecoregion and land cover type the interannual variability of the vegetation cycle, including the start-, mid- and end of the growing season. Seasonal variation in vegetation phenology is mapped to highlight the areas of greatest interannual variation and compared to rainfall patterns over the focal study period. Statistical estimates of land cover change are produced for six broad classes for the years 1990, 2000 and 2010, based on detailed land cover change assessed by a systematic sampling of high-resolution satellite imagery. Rates of change for Kenya are presented and discussed in light of the low-resolution time series analysis. Results highlight information on land cover change processes such as vegetation dynamics and deforestation. These are discussed within the context of the drivers of changes to the natural ecosystem—their potential impact on land availability for human activities such as agriculture and logging for timber and fire wood production on the one side and habitat and biodiversity conservation on the other side. Finally, biodiversity and habitat value, ecosystems and threats are analysed for Kenya’s conservation and protected areas so as to identify the status of and pressures on the country’s protected areas. Six indicators of species irreplaceability, habitat irreplaceability and the level of perceived threat to a protected area’s habitat and species from agriculture and human population are analysed. In addition, high-resolution satellite images taken over conservation areas are used for assessing land cover changes inside protected areas and in the surrounding 20km buffer zone. The results show the importance and effectiveness of protected areas in reducing the loss of natural vegetation and hence protecting the habitats and biodiversity.

Natural Capital
Natural Capital

Author: Peter Kareiva

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2011-04-07

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 019162103X

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In 2005, The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) provided the first global assessment of the world's ecosystems and ecosystem services. It concluded that recent trends in ecosystem change threatened human wellbeing due to declining ecosystem services. This bleak prophecy has galvanized conservation organizations, ecologists, and economists to work toward rigorous valuations of ecosystem services at a spatial scale and with a resolution that can inform public policy. The editors have assembled the world's leading scientists in the fields of conservation, policy analysis, and resource economics to provide the most intensive and best technical analyses of ecosystem services to date. A key idea that guides the science is that the modelling and valuation approaches being developed should use data that are readily available around the world. In addition, the book documents a toolbox of ecosystem service mapping, modeling, and valuation models that both The Nature Conservancy and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are beginning to apply around the world as they transform conservation from a biodiversity only to a people and ecosystem services agenda. The book addresses land, freshwater, and marine systems at a variety of spatial scales and includes discussion of how to treat both climate change and cultural values when examining tradeoffs among ecosystem services.

Baseline review and ecosystem services assessment of the Tana River Basin, Kenya
Baseline review and ecosystem services assessment of the Tana River Basin, Kenya

Author: Baker, Tracy

Publisher: International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Published: 2015-06-01

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 9290908300

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The ‘WISE-UP to climate’ project aims to demonstrate the value of natural infrastructure as a ‘nature-based solution’ for climate change adaptation and sustainable development. Within the Tana River Basin, both natural and built infrastructure provide livelihood benefits for people. Understanding the interrelationships between the two types of infrastructure is a prerequisite for sustainable water resources development and management. This is particularly true as pressures on water resources intensify and the impacts of climate change increase. This report provides an overview of the biophysical characteristics, ecosystem services and links to livelihoods within the basin.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Local and Regional Policy and Management
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Local and Regional Policy and Management

Author: Heidi Wittmer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-05-23

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1136344594

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In this volume of the TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) publication series, the key concepts of the project are applied to local and regional policy and public management. The aim is to show that by taking nature's benefits into account, decision makers can promote local development to ensure human well-being and economic growth and stability, while maintaining environmental sustainability. The book explores the potential for local development provided by an approach based on nature. It offers examples of successful implementation of this approach from across the world, highlighting the importance of local decision making in management and planning. It provides tools and practical guidance for reform, and throughout the volume the economic benefits of environmental consideration at a local level are expounded. This book is intended to offer inspiration and practical suggestions for the improvement and sustainable management of the environment and human well-being. The local aspect of this book complements the focus of the previous three volumes, completing the set to provide a comprehensive approach to simultaneously improving and maintaining economic and environmental stability, as well as human well-being.

Pricing Nature
Pricing Nature

Author: Nick Hanley

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 184980205X

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An impressive piece of work that deserves to be on every European agricultural economist s bookshelf. Jean-Christophe Bureau, European Review of Agricultural Economics This is an excellent text that could be used in specialist academic courses in environmental and natural resource economics, ecological economics and cost benefit analysis, as well as in interdisciplinary courses in public policy, planning and environmental management. David James, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) is one of the most useful tools of applied economics for the social appraisal of public projects and government policies. Nick Hanley and Edward Barbier show how CBA can be applied to environmental policy choice and environmental resource management. They cover the conceptual underpinnings of CBA, practical methods for applying CBA, and a wide range of case study applications from Europe, North America and developing countries. Issues such as the value of ecosystem services and the special problems posed for CBA by environmental management are brought into close focus. The textbook is aimed at students on inter-disciplinary courses as well as those studying environmental economics, welfare economics and public policy. It will also be of interest to people in the policy community, NGOs and consultancy sectors.

New Advances and Contributions to Forestry Research
New Advances and Contributions to Forestry Research

Author: Dr. Andrew A. Oteng-Amoako

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2012-04-27

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9535105299

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New Advances and Contributions to Forestry Research consists of 14 chapters divided into three sections and is authored by 48 researchers from 16 countries and all five continents. Section Whither the Use of Forest Resources, authored by 16 researchers, describes negative and positive practices in forestry. Forest is a complex habitat for man, animals, insects and micro-organisms and their activities may impact positively or negatively on the forest. This complex relationship is explained in the section Forest and Organisms Interactions, consisting of contributions made by six researchers. Development of tree plantations has been man’s response to forest degradation and deforestation caused by human, animals and natural disasters. Plantations of beech, spruce, Eucalyptus and other species are described in the last section, Amelioration of Dwindling Forest Resources Through Plantation Development, a section consisting of five papers authored by 20 researchers. New Advances and Contributions to Forestry Research will appeal to forest scientists, researchers and allied professionals. It will be of interest to those who care about forest and who subscribe to the adage that the last tree dies with the last man on our planet. I recommend it to you; enjoy reading it, save the forest and save life!