Understanding Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate in Kenya’s Mt. Elgon Forest Ecosystem: Definitions, Opportunities and Constraints

Abstract

A number of approaches have been employed across the world to address adaptation to climate change impacts. The role of ecosystems in adaptation to climate change impacts has been recognized at the international level more so upon the realization that conservation, sustainable management and the restoration of ecosystems can help people adapt to the impacts of climate change. This concept of using ecosystems for climate change adaptation otherwise known as Ecosystem based Adaptation (EbA) utilizes the premise that healthy, well managed ecosystems have climate change mitigation potential. The approach is gaining increasing attention as it is accessible to the rural poor in developing countries due to its cost-effectiveness and due to the fact that it uses infrastructure that is already established by nature. Research has it that the Mount Elgon ecosystem in the south-rift part of Kenya has EbA characteristics which can offer longer term solutions to adaptation to climate change impacts while providing a range of other benefits in terms of ecosystem goods and services. This paper seeks to profile Mt. Elgon ecosystem’s natural infrastructure in improving resilience of the forest adjacent community to the impacts of climate change. This was achieved by carrying out, a descriptive survey that involved 405 household and 51 civil servant and civil society respondent drawn from Saboti, Kiminini, Endebess, and Kwanza sub- counties, Transnzoia County in Kenya. Results show that residents of the study area grow maize (90.6%) being their staple food as compared with other crops such as beans (3.7%), vegetables (2.7%) and millet (1.5%).The household incomes centre around crop farming (47.4%) followed by formal employment (21.5%),family business (12.9%), casual employment in the agricultural sector (10.9%), while other sources accounted for 0.5%. This specialty economy exposes residents to the effects of climate. A major conclusion in this study is that beneficiary decentralized governance systems must seize opportunities presented by the Mt Elgon ecosystem to develop initiatives that improve the resilience of ecosystems and people to climate change impacts.