Abstract
Wetlands are one of the world’s most important environmental assets but currently face complex challenges. Wetlands’ long-term sustainability require participation of the riparian communities in their management, yet this involvement in seeking solutions to wetland’s resources use remains a grave challenge. Yala Wetland, Kenya is a very important resource whose challenges revolve around land and water resource use for competing interests and from catchment degradation. Consequently, action research was conducted to assess level of and effectiveness of Yala Wetland Community Participation in Yala Strategic Environmental Assessment and Land Use Planning processes through Yala Project Advisory Committee Framework. The study targeted 410 local communities, thirty-four key informants, and 187 students from learning institutions. The study revealed that utilization of Yala resources has been partly informed by how the wetland communities perceive its formation. Further, they identified key environmental issues, their root causes and corresponding opportunities that Yala Land Use Plan needed to address. The analysis also showed existing gaps in integration of community information and scientific information, disconnect between decision making and requisite scientific and practical evidence; and absence of community sensitive governance structure. The study integrated local communities’ vast knowledge and planning information and formed Yala Swamp Management Committee with communities at the centre of conservation. Additionally, there is a secretariat led by a Community Facilitator to coordinate execution of the Conservation Area Management Plan 2019-2029. The final Yala Land Use Plan developed in participatory manner itemized three main land uses namely Conservation areas, Agricultural areas and settlement areas. Keywords: Yala Wetland, Community Participation, Land Use Planning, Governance.
Highlights
Wetlands occur where the ground water table is at or near the land surface, or where the land is covered by water (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 2016), and are one of the world‟s most important environmental assets which provide homes for large, diverse biota as well as significant economic, social and cultural benefits related to timber, fisheries, hunting, recreational and tourist activities
The swamp partly formed from flooding experienced in 1960 - 1963, which they believed to be a curse from gods. They recalled that in December 1962 and much of 1963 there were heavy rains which is equivalent to today‟s El Nino rains, and that the flooding continued into the 1970s, causing malaria and other challenges that forced most people to move to high grounds
There was a small opening by the lakeside at Goye in Usenge, but with 1960s rains, it widened, A ferry was brought but with increased rains, it was swept to Mageta islands
Summary
Wetlands occur where the ground water table is at or near the land surface, or where the land is covered by water (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 2016), and are one of the world‟s most important environmental assets which provide homes for large, diverse biota as well as significant economic, social and cultural benefits related to timber, fisheries, hunting, recreational and tourist activities. They constitute an important resource for riparian communities and it is important that communities participate in their management.
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