Quantification of ecosystem benefits of community plantation and its impacts on human well-being: A case study from Kenya

The present research focuses on estimating the impact/achievements of the long-term efforts of community afforestation programs on socio-ecological well-being in Africa with a case study from Kenya. An integrated approach (both qualitative and quantitative analysis, conducted through field and questionnaire surveys) was used in the Karura Forest Reserve, located in the northern central part of Nairobi City. Data sources developed from the questionnaire survey were analyzed via the application of ecological approaches to evaluate different ecosystem services being generated based on the local knowledge generated by the residents living within the forest areas. Results suggested that both local people and rural communities depend on this forest, with indigenous and exotic species contributing to producing various ecosystem services, primarily provision and regulatory services such as food, fodder, fuel, and medicine. These ecosystem services are necessary for livelihood support and keeping forest usage diverse. Moreover, it also contributed to the enhancement of social bonding, peace and happiness, and women's empowerment by creating more jobs, reducing thefts/crimes, and increasing opportunities for women to take key roles in decision-making. Exotic elements, like Eucalyptus, introduced in the forest reserve provided the stakeholders with benefits owing to their rapid growth. The number of types of forest resource utilization (i.e., use-richness) in indigenous and exotic elements were 10 and 7, respectively. It is still unclear whether the indigenous/native trees adopted in the above-mentioned tree planting activities will bring the same benefits as, or more than, those of exotic species. In consideration of the fact that the prime objective of the reforestation activities is to make local people’s lives more prosperous, it is important to conduct an assessment to clarify the situations of natural resources and the related local needs among the target communities. Then, it is required to properly maintain ecosystem services based on the appropriate local ecological knowledge and to promote well-balanced vegetation management coexisting with indigenous and exotic elements. These findings will contribute to providing forest managers and users with incentives to promote a well-balanced landscape management between indigenous and exotic vegetation.