Project
In Action
Written
by Sander van Andel, with Brendan Tougher
On Sunday the 23rd I drove off into the night towards the town
of Kwale in order to learn more about the people and the environment
in the interior of this fascinating area. The previous days were
hectic due to numerous preparations that had to be made for a smooth
field period. The Landrover which I borrowed form the WWF project,
had been given a new battery, a complete check and a new cover
on the so the field team would be dry while transported to the
different villages. In total 220 questionnaires were copied to
collect the information on the different subjects that this research
touches upon.
The field team consisted besides me of Gabriel Ngale who is born
in Kilifi which is North of Mombasa. In his youth he used to hunt
birds in the forest close to his home. This made him learn most
birds by name and call. This knowledge made him value the forest
and its animals much when he grew up. After college he did several
inventories for the Coastal Forest Conservation Unit in Ukunda
and that is how we met.
The second field team member was Brendan Tucker who is born in
up state New York, USA. He studies environmental science and followed
a three-month semester in Kenya. I was very lucky that in the two
weeks that this field work took place he had his practical period
of the semester.
The third field team member was a professional enumerator from
the Central Bureau of Statistics Kenya with the name Riziki. Although
he lived far from the meeting point were we met at 7.30 every morning
he was never late. Another important field member was the driver
which normally works for the forest department named Shame Ndaro.
He knew the area around Shimba Hills very well as he was born there.
Our base was in Kwale were Gabriel, Brendan and me stayed in a
guest house. Every morning we got 30 chapattis (a short of pancake),
water and syrup before we left for a village somewhere around Shimba
Hills National Reserve.
The questionnaire was administered within the Kwale district to
fourteen villages surrounding the Shimba Hills National Reserve,
which were; Msulwa, Kindongo, Mwapala, Mwalumba, Makanda 2, Makanda
3, Tseresani, Mlafyeni, Bahakanda, Mirihini, Mkomba, Mtsamviani,
Tiribe, and Mzinji. Ultimately the questionnaire attempts to establish
an understanding of the economic situation of the area and the
ways in which the National Reserve influences the area. The questionnaire
was conducted with for team with the above mentioned team members
and the help of local CBO (Community Based Organization) members
and village elders and was administered to individual households.
The questionnaire focuses on several aspects such as; access to
and use of land, crops and crop income, animal ownership, employment,
general characteristics of the house and its facilities (such as
household lighting and access to water), social organization involvement,
health and medical expenditures, the houses relationship to Shimba
Hills Forest, and general biodiversity questions focused at understanding
the different types of trees and wild mammals found on their property.
In order to reach an appropriate sample size of each village, it
was necessary to conduct questionnaires to at least ten percent
of the households in each village, thus allowing for a strong understanding
of the social and economic situation of each of the areas.
The administration of the research and data collection is complete,
so now it is essential that an easy to read report is developed
so that it is possible to clearly see the relationship these villages
have with protected area. After this report is created it will
be dispersed to various governmental organizations such as, Plan
International, Kenya Wildlife Service, and the Forestry Department.
From there it is up to the government weather actions are to be
taken or not and it is therefore out of the hands of the researchers.
WWF-Kwale will use this study to determine better how and were
activities have to take place.
Through the interview progress it became evident that a great
deal more wealth existed on the eastern side of Shimba Hills in
comparison of the western side. This probably occurred because
of the eastern sides close proximity to markets and because it
was closer to the coast, so it had easier access to goods. The
wealth that existed within this region was evident in the amount
of land that was owned (typically 25acres), the type of houses
owned (a con with plastered walls and iron sheet roofs), education
of the children, basic household objects, and the amount of livestock
owned.
The eastern side also had little relationship to the forest because
they depended primarily on the sale of their crops rather then
materials extracted from the forest. In contrast, the western region
of the Kwale district was extremely poor. This region depended
a great deal on the forest because the average land owned was approximately
four acres and was typically only used for personal use. The general
condition of the households was very poor, the walls predominantly
being made of mud and the roofs being made of makuti (coconut fronds).
A small level of livestock was owned and typically the amount of
personal materials a home owned was limited, often homes not even
having bed sheets. Furthermore, the general health of the children
in the western region was worse. Many young kids had large stomachs
and thin arms and legs, a visible sign of malnutrition.
My first impression is that people that lived closer to the reserve
received more benefit from the forest in the form of rain, water,
firewood and building materials compared to those that lived further
away. However their crops were also raided more by wildlife such
as Baboons, Sykes monkeys, Bush pigs and Elephants. Especially
Elephants were able to ruin a harvest within one night. Additionally
they were very dangerous and many cases of death due to elephants
were known.
For me this exercise was incredible experience firstly because
I was able with such a good team a people who were all very motivated.
Secondly I saw the real rural live in this area which was something
I had never experienced before. With the questionnaire I was able
to ask many (intimate) questions about their lives and the environment
they lived in. Often I felt to be intrusive asking those questions
as a white foreigner (Mzungu) without assuring them they would
receive any direct benefit from the outcome of this research. Other
people were happy that we came to let them express there views
and talk about their lives.
