Abstract
Mau Forest Complex is the largest closed-canopy montane ecosystem in Eastern Africa that encompasses seven forest blocks namely Mau Narok, Maasai Mau, Eastern Mau, Western Mau, Southern Mau, South West Mau and Transmara regions and the main catchment area for 12 rivers. However, over the past years, it has undergone significant land use changes due to increased human population demanding land for settlement and subsistence agriculture. Previous studies carried out in Mau have always demonstrated the relationship between deforestation and rate of forest degradation, but the effects on water quality and the impact on tourism resulting from the flamingoes migration has not been addressed adequately. Using Landsat images for four different epochs that is 1984, 1994, 2003 and 2015 comparative analysis of landuse land-cover (LULC) changes was carried out. The study demonstrated that the size of forest cover in Mau have been changing from 1984 to present. This is due to deforestation and agricultural activities taking place within the forested areas of Mau.
Highlights
The Mau Forest Complex is the largest closed-canopy montane ecosystem in Eastern Africa
The previous studies carried out in Mau have always demonstrated the relationship between deforestation and rate of forest degradation, but the effects on water quality and the impact on tourism resulting from the flamingoes migration has not been addressed adequately
When forest cover bonding the soil in a lake basin is destroyed, the result is usually an increase in land erosion and sediment transport, which in turn leads to reduced lake water quality which limits the penetration of light into the water column
Summary
The Mau Forest Complex is the largest closed-canopy montane ecosystem in Eastern Africa. It encompasses seven forest blocks within the Mau Narok, Maasai Mau, Eastern Mau, Western Mau, Southern Mau, South West Mau and Transmara regions. The area is the largest water tower in the region, being the main catchment area for 12 rivers draining into Lake Baringo, Lake Nakuru, Lake Turkana, Lake Natron and the Trans-boundary Lake Victoria [1]. In the past three decades or so, the Mau Forest Complex has undergone significant land use changes due to increased human population demanding land for settlement and subsistence agriculture. The encroachment has led to drastic and considerable land fragmentation, deforestation of the headwater catchments and destruction of wetlands previously existing within the fertile upstream parts. The effects of the anthropogenic activities are slowly taking toll as is evident from the diminishing river discharges during periods of low flows, and deterioration of river water qualities through pollution from point and non-point sources [2]
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