Biodiversity Hotspots: Kenya and Indonesia

Introduction 

Conservation of natural resources has been threatened by anthropogenic and climate related factors globally. The forests have acted as carbon sinks storing carbon and reducing the impact of climate change. However, in the recent past, forests have declined by 50% globally with tropical forest losing over 50% coverage between the year 2000 and 2013 (Hansen et al., 2013). Developing countries such as Africa have experienced more than 70% forest loss specifically in tropics and equatorial forests. Such forest loss leads to reduction in carbon storage resulting in increased carbon circulation in the atmosphere, contributing to greenhouse effects. Lack of community involvement and increased forest fragmentation have jeopardized efforts to recover forests. Coupled with is the lack of direct benefits from the protection of resources such as forests as well as lack of alternative livelihoods. 

To address this challenge, emerging carbon markets are helping to reconstruct forests by giving direct benefits to the communities responsible for protecting the forests in developing countries. However, this has been faced by challenges such as how to estimate carbon storage for appropriate payment. Additionally, lack of awareness on the process of payment have poked holes in the proposed carbon credits building mistrust among entities. However, it may be the part of the long-term solution to conservation of natural resources and a direct way to ensure sustainable conservation of natural resources in developing countries. 

We present two case studies from Kenya and Indonesia where carbon projects may work for local communities by ensuring they leap direct benefits from the conservation of natural resources specifically forests and rangelands while ensuring carbon storage through restoration and maintenance of the critical ecosystems in Kenya and Indonesia. Further we demonstrate how local communities can harmonize their activities to include carbon offsetting and creating alternative livelihoods reducing overreliance on the resources and regenerating forests for conservation of endangered species and climate change adaptation and mitigation.  

Tsavo Conservation area in Kenya

In Southern Kenya, the largest continuous protected area in Kenya: Tsavo Conservation area exists which transcend to Tanzania hence the Tsavo-Mkomazi Landscape covering approximately 49,000Km².  Despite being a key biodiversity area (KBA) designated by IUCN, the landscape is home to several endangered species such as black rhinos, (Diceros bicornii) pangolins, Masai giraffes, wild dogs and many charismatic birds and amphibians that are critically endangered and endemic to the area. Critically endangered birds’ species include the taita apalis (Apalis fuscigularis), taita thrush (Turdus helerri) while critically endangered amphibians include sagalla caecilian (Boulengerula niendeni) (KBA 2024). 

This critically endangered species occurs in the fragmented and continuously critically endangered forests within Taita Taveta county (see figure 1 below).  Adjacent to the forests and community settled areas are tracks of ranches primarily for livestock production which act as connecting corridors and habitats for wildlife such as elephants and giraffes (Muthiuru et al., 2024).  The success of the conservation of the forests as key carbon sinks is dependent on success of the rangelands and alternative sources of livelihoods as well as inclusion of such rangelands in carbon trade in the recently emerging biodiversity certification. For a long time, rangelands and savannas have been overlooked as carbon sinks while they have the capacity to hold carbon at large capacities (Pellegrini et al.,2023, Zhou et al., 2023) as forests. 

Figure 1: Map of Tsavo Conservation area showing fragmented forests

Batang Toru Landscape (LBT) Indonesia

The Batang Toru Landscape (LBT) covers an area of 249,169 hectares, with forested land of 139,357 hectares, which is the habitat for 67 species of mammals and 287 species of birds, including the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), Sumatran tiger, tapir, and others. Besides being a habitat for high-value biodiversity, LBT also hosts natural resource utilization activities by communities and large-scale extractive industries. This condition demands cross-sectoral and multi-interest landscape management. Administratively, the Batang Toru Landscape is divided into 238 villages across 26 sub-districts in the districts of North Tapanuli, Central Tapanuli, South Tapanuli, and the city of Padang Sidempuan (Figure 2).

Figure 2: The Batang Toru Landscape in Indonesia

Despite its critical value and being home to endangered orangutans, Within the ecosystem, there are community and company plantations, including oil palm and rubber plantations which threaten the ecosystem. Additionally, there are seven companies operating in the energy sector within LBT, namely Siborpa Eco Power Hydroelectric Power Plant, Sipansipahoras Hydroelectric Power Plant, Simarboru Hydroelectric Power Plant, Batang Toru Hydroelectric Power Plant, Sarulla Operations Limited Geothermal Power Plant, Labuan Angin Coal-Fired Power Plant, and Micro Hydro Power Plant.

To counter the negative effects of these industries, the local communities and authorities in Batang came together to conduct community awareness and establish tree nurseries for rehabilitating the destroyed environment. 

Upscaling Batang Toru Landscape Indonesia

1. Conservation Land, where tree nurseries will be established around the Batang Toru landscape, thus becoming large-scale carbon sinks.
2. Strengthening family farming as a basis for food sovereignty and reducing dependence on food from outside the landscape.
3. Implementing an independent energy program/solar panel.
4. Managing household and industrial waste around the Batang Toru Landscape.
5. Collaborating with Village-Owned Enterprises to develop climate change mitigation and adaptation programs, particularly for Carbon Offset.
6. Strengthening the protection of indigenous lands and communities around the Batang Toru Landscape.
7. Increasing the capacity and participation of the communities around the Batang Toru Landscape to actively engage in carbon offset actions within the Batang Toru landscape.

Proposed strategies in Tsavo Landscape Kenya

1. Support the demarcation of the forests to initiate forest restoration 
2. Upscale the existing tree nurseries in some of the forests
3. Community awareness on carbon offsetting
4. Exchange program between Batang and Tsavo communities

References

Pellegrini, A.F.A., Reich, P.B., Hobbie, S.E. et al. 2024. “Soil carbon storage capacity of drylands under altered fire regimes”. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 1089–1094 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01800-7

Muthiuru, Amos C., Ramiro D. Crego, Jemimah A. Simbauni, Philip M. Muruthi, Grace Waiguchu, Fredrick Lala, James D. A. Millington, and Eunice W. Kairu. 2024. “Human Footprint and Rainfall Shape Masai Giraffe’s Habitat Suitability and Connectivity in a Multiple-Use Landscape.” Ecosphere 15(7): e4933. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4933

M. C. Hansen, P. V. Potapov, R. Moore, M. Hancher, S. A. Turubanova, A. Tyukavina, D. Thau,2 S. V. Stehman, S. J. Goetz, T. R. Loveland, A. Kommareddy, A. Egorov, L. Chini, C. O. Justice, J. R. G. Townshend 2023. “High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change” Science Vol 342 15,  November 2013. DOI: 10.1126/science.1244693 ·

Zhou, Y., Bomfim, B., Bond, W.J. et al. Soil carbon in tropical savannas mostly derived from grasses. Nat. Geosci. 16, 710–716 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01232-0
Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership (2024) Key Biodiversity Areas factsheet: Taita Hills Forests. Downloaded from https://keybiodiversityareas.org/ on Jul 24, 2024.