Working With Communities
Livelihood support
Challenge
The population around Arabuko-Sokoke Forest consists mostly of small-scale subsistence farmers for whom agriculture is the main source of livelihood. Rural livelihood poses a great challenge as families are often in a state of poverty where they lack the basic necessities for survival. A rural household with diverse sources of income earning activities has better chances of survival financially than a household which has only one source. Household income from forest related works improves their resilience and promote forest conservation related benefits. The forest can easily become the economic heart from where people are employed who are then able to buy goods and services. This all feeds into creating a conservation-led economy that is dependent on the forest.
Activities
Employment of community scouts
We employ community scouts that are protecting the forest on daily basis.
Roads maintenance
The forest has about 200 km of forest roads and trails, that are used for its protection and by visitors. We are working with community members to open these trails and make them available during whole year.
Improving knowledge about communities
We engage young men and women to help us collect socioeconomic data about communities and monitor our impact. We provide them also with necessary training that improves their future ability for employment.
Nature-based enterprise/livelihoods
Based on information about livelihoods needs and sustainable opportunities we implement sustainable livelihoods projects for communities living around the forest. We work with women groups and local associations to implement projects as cassava farming and processing and beekeeping.
Impact
11
Community scouts full-time employed,
24
Community scouts on temporary employment contracts
15
Women participated in our cassava planting programme
5
Youth trained and engaged to collect socio-economic and monitoring data
Conservation Education
Challenge
The most important resource around Arabuko-Sokoke Forest are people. The challenges of poverty, natural resource exploitation or climate change will not be resolved in a few years. It will take generations. Today’s children – and theirs – will need to be able to continue our race. For that, they will need a full understanding of why forests are so valuable, to understand the complexities of these ecological problems, and how they can be a part of the solution. It is our job to provide young, inquisitive minds with the tools and information needed to do better for the environment and wildlife.
Activities
Forest conservation education programme
We work with schools bordering Arabuko-Sokoke Forest to reach out to the school-going children and help the learners to understand the importance of the forest and environmental conservation. This programme aims to bring up a generation conservation conscience generation.
Visit KWS education centre
In 2019, Friends of Arabuko Sokoke Forest renovated the Kenya Wildlife Service education centre to create an engaging and modern exhibition and learning space to the forest visitors to gain information and insight into the form and content of the forest ahead of a walk or drive.
Environmental Clubs in Schools
Friends of Arabuko Sokoke Forest is working with the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya to form environmental clubs in schools bordering the forest, this is to develop the interest in conservation amongst the leaners.
Impact
1300+
Students from 37 schools bordering Arabuko-Sokoke Forest attended our environmental education programme
200+
Accompany learners visited the forest
40
Schools around the forest established environmental clubs to develop conservation interest amongst learners through activities such as tree planting
Community Forest Associations
Challenge
Participatory forestry refers to processes and mechanisms that enable people who have a direct stake in forest resources to be part of decision making in all aspects of forest management. The introduction of Participatory Forestry Management in Kenya provided for formation of 3 Community Forest Associations, which enter into agreements with Kenya Forest Service and other partners. Community Forest Associations (CFA) in Arabuko-Sokoke underwent through difficult times and are currently in the process of streamlining their objectives and finding new ways how to effectively collaborate with stakeholders towards sustainable management of the forest resources.
Activities
Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest advocates for introduction of new mechanism for forest management, under one ecosystem management plan. We support capacity building of CFA’s management teams with long term vision of sustainable use of forest natural resources and diversification of household’s income through livelihood programmes outside of the forest rather than keep communities rely on forest natural resources. We advocate for effective and efficient management of the forest, linking community management with private sector and other communities in similar situations.
Impact
11
Community scouts full-time employed
24
Community scouts on temporary employment contracts
20
People working on road maintenance
15
Women participated in our cassava planting programme
12
Beekeepers trained and supported
5
Youth trained and engaged to collect socio-economic and monitoring data
Covid-19 Support
During the COVID-19, Friends of Arabuko Sokoke Forest took a leading role to increase safety of local communities and in collaboration with authorities and Community Forest associations produced and distributed over 1000 masks equipped local health centres with handwashing buckets and soap. We also supported farmers bordering the forest in with 800kgs of cereals seeds.