Geoffrey Macharia | Kenyatta University, Nairobi (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Geoffrey Macharia

East African Journal of Forestry and Agroforestry

Forest ecosystems provide livelihood opportunities such as medicines, fuelwood, timber, cash inco... more Forest ecosystems provide livelihood opportunities such as medicines, fuelwood, timber, cash income and a reliable supply of groundwater. However, encroachment of forests by human settlement adjacent to conservation areas is associated with overharvesting of forest resources and uncontrolled livestock grazing leading to the destruction and disappearance of useful plant species in forest ecosystems which can significantly affect both biodiversity integrity and ecological functioning. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the distribution, conservation status, and effects of threats on the relative abundance of Warburgia ugandensis in Katimok Forest Reserve, Baringo County in Kenya. Data collection was done using transect lines and quadrat methods. The data on the relative abundance of Warburgia ugandensis and indicators of threat were collected from quadrats and sub-quadrats located at 50 m, 350 m and 650 m from the forest edge. In addition, other measures of tree growth such as...

Climate Change Management, 2017

2.1 Introduction W etlands are defined under the Ramsar Convention as "Areas of marsh, fen, peat ... more 2.1 Introduction W etlands are defined under the Ramsar Convention as "Areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salty, including areas of marine water thedepth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres" (Ramsar, 1971; Howard, 1992). A wetland is also loosely defined as a vegetation area, which is flooded either permanentlyor seasonally (Denny, 1985). In Kenya, wetlands are defined as "Areas oflandthat are permanently or occasionally waterlogged with fresh, saline, brackish ormarine waters at a depth not exceeding six meters, including both natural and man-madeareas that support characteristic biota" (NWSC, 1995). These definitions thusinclude swamps, marshes, bogs, shallow lakes, ox-bow lakes, river meanders andfloodplains, as well as riverbanks, lakeshores and seashore where wetland plants grow. It also includes marine and intertidal wetlands such as deltas, estuaries, mud ts, mangroves, salt marshes, sea grass beds and shallow reefs. The definition has en adapted from the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971) to which Kenya is contracting party. Globally,wetlands occupy about 6% of the earth's surface. Wetlands in Kenya coverabout 3% to 4%, of the land surface, which is approximately 14,000 km2 in rea and fluctuates up to 6% in the rainy seasons (Figure 1). The distribution of enya's wetlands depends largely on the amount of rainfall and to some extent on e landform. The wetlands provide many ecological and socioeconomic goods and services. Despite their valuable functions, wetlands are often regarded as wastelands" and are continually being degraded and lost through conversion for gricultural uses, settlement and industrial development. Wetlands have suffered egradation caused by among others pollution, overexploitation and catchment estruction.ln addition, lack of awareness and appreciation.of the values of wetlands as contributed to their Joss and mismanagement.

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 2017

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which adaptation projects have incor... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which adaptation projects have incorporated ecosystem services, as well as their redesigning options. The projects selected are listed under National Adaptation Programme of Action in West African region. Design/methodology/approach A desktop survey approach was used to review 168 projects from 13 countries across West Africa. The projects were categorized and analyzed according to their adaptation goal, thematic focus, their implementation duration and level of investment. Findings The adaptation initiatives are dominated by actions in the agricultural sector accounting for 32 per cent of the total. Further, they were characterized by small grants consideration with 63 per cent falling under US$1m budget, short-term implementation duration with 46 per cent having three years’ execution period. A large portion of projects (55 per cent) mentioned directly one or more ecosystem services, with provisioning services being refe...

International Journal on Environmental Sciences, 2015

Purpose: The Lake Victorian Nile Perch ( Lates niloticus ) industry in Kenya is the most importan... more Purpose: The Lake Victorian Nile Perch ( Lates niloticus ) industry in Kenya is the most important in the fisheries sub-sector and generates significant levels of revenue to the national economy besides creating employment opportunities along the value chain. Information on the utilization of by-products and cleaner production is very important as the industry plays a significant role in the economic and social development in the country. The main products from processing are chilled or frozen Nile perch (NP) fillets exclusively destined for the export market. The processing further produces vast amounts of waste water. Methodology: NP by-products and CP were audited by surveying three NP processing plants in Nairobi, Homa Bay and Kisumu. The three fish processing plants were purposively selected. Simple random sampling technique was used to select respondents as it presented every potential respondent an equal chance of being selected to take part in the study without bias. A sam...

International Journal of Bonorowo Wetlands, 2021

Abstract. Kinyariro MS, Njuguna SG, Macharia G. 2019. Challenges and opportunities of participato... more Abstract. Kinyariro MS, Njuguna SG, Macharia G. 2019. Challenges and opportunities of participatory management of Upland Wetland in kiambu county, Kenya. Bonorowo Wetlands 10: 52-65. Wetlands are continuously degraded through agricultural activities, pollution, and settlements. For example, in the Lari sub-district, increased population pressure decreased soil fertility, unreliable rainfall, and the search for food security forced farmers to encroach on the seemingly idle Upland Wetlands. Opportunities for wetland conservation lie in participatory approaches that can be applied at the local level to assist in conserving this vital natural resource. The main water of the Ruiru river comes from the Upland Wetlands harvested by the Nairobi Water and Waste Company in the Githunguri sub-district at the Ruiru dam. This research is critical because the water company does not have in-depth information about its catchment area, which leads to encroachment and ultimately rationing of water in...

PeerJ

Background Heterogeneous landscapes like those of Laikipia County, Kenya consist of a mosaic of l... more Background Heterogeneous landscapes like those of Laikipia County, Kenya consist of a mosaic of land-use types, which may exert differential physiological effects on elephants that occupy and traverse them. Understanding behavioral and physiological states of wild African elephants in response to the challenges of living in human-dominated landscapes is therefore important for conservation managers to evaluate risks imposed by elephants to humans and vice versa. Several conservation physiology tools have been developed to assess how animals respond to both natural and anthropogenic changes, and determine biological impacts. This study investigated how migratory and avoidance behavioral to vehicle presence, and vegetation quality affected fecal glucocorticoid (GC) metabolite (FGM) concentrations in African elephants at Mpala Ranch, Laikipia County, Kenya. Methods The study compared adrenal glucocorticoid activity of resident elephants that live within Mpala (n = 57) and non-resident ...

East African Journal of Forestry and Agroforestry

Forest ecosystems provide livelihood opportunities such as medicines, fuelwood, timber, cash inco... more Forest ecosystems provide livelihood opportunities such as medicines, fuelwood, timber, cash income and a reliable supply of groundwater. However, encroachment of forests by human settlement adjacent to conservation areas is associated with overharvesting of forest resources and uncontrolled livestock grazing leading to the destruction and disappearance of useful plant species in forest ecosystems which can significantly affect both biodiversity integrity and ecological functioning. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the distribution, conservation status, and effects of threats on the relative abundance of Warburgia ugandensis in Katimok Forest Reserve, Baringo County in Kenya. Data collection was done using transect lines and quadrat methods. The data on the relative abundance of Warburgia ugandensis and indicators of threat were collected from quadrats and sub-quadrats located at 50 m, 350 m and 650 m from the forest edge. In addition, other measures of tree growth such as...

Climate Change Management, 2017

2.1 Introduction W etlands are defined under the Ramsar Convention as "Areas of marsh, fen, peat ... more 2.1 Introduction W etlands are defined under the Ramsar Convention as "Areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salty, including areas of marine water thedepth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres" (Ramsar, 1971; Howard, 1992). A wetland is also loosely defined as a vegetation area, which is flooded either permanentlyor seasonally (Denny, 1985). In Kenya, wetlands are defined as "Areas oflandthat are permanently or occasionally waterlogged with fresh, saline, brackish ormarine waters at a depth not exceeding six meters, including both natural and man-madeareas that support characteristic biota" (NWSC, 1995). These definitions thusinclude swamps, marshes, bogs, shallow lakes, ox-bow lakes, river meanders andfloodplains, as well as riverbanks, lakeshores and seashore where wetland plants grow. It also includes marine and intertidal wetlands such as deltas, estuaries, mud ts, mangroves, salt marshes, sea grass beds and shallow reefs. The definition has en adapted from the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971) to which Kenya is contracting party. Globally,wetlands occupy about 6% of the earth's surface. Wetlands in Kenya coverabout 3% to 4%, of the land surface, which is approximately 14,000 km2 in rea and fluctuates up to 6% in the rainy seasons (Figure 1). The distribution of enya's wetlands depends largely on the amount of rainfall and to some extent on e landform. The wetlands provide many ecological and socioeconomic goods and services. Despite their valuable functions, wetlands are often regarded as wastelands" and are continually being degraded and lost through conversion for gricultural uses, settlement and industrial development. Wetlands have suffered egradation caused by among others pollution, overexploitation and catchment estruction.ln addition, lack of awareness and appreciation.of the values of wetlands as contributed to their Joss and mismanagement.

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 2017

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which adaptation projects have incor... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which adaptation projects have incorporated ecosystem services, as well as their redesigning options. The projects selected are listed under National Adaptation Programme of Action in West African region. Design/methodology/approach A desktop survey approach was used to review 168 projects from 13 countries across West Africa. The projects were categorized and analyzed according to their adaptation goal, thematic focus, their implementation duration and level of investment. Findings The adaptation initiatives are dominated by actions in the agricultural sector accounting for 32 per cent of the total. Further, they were characterized by small grants consideration with 63 per cent falling under US$1m budget, short-term implementation duration with 46 per cent having three years’ execution period. A large portion of projects (55 per cent) mentioned directly one or more ecosystem services, with provisioning services being refe...

International Journal on Environmental Sciences, 2015

Purpose: The Lake Victorian Nile Perch ( Lates niloticus ) industry in Kenya is the most importan... more Purpose: The Lake Victorian Nile Perch ( Lates niloticus ) industry in Kenya is the most important in the fisheries sub-sector and generates significant levels of revenue to the national economy besides creating employment opportunities along the value chain. Information on the utilization of by-products and cleaner production is very important as the industry plays a significant role in the economic and social development in the country. The main products from processing are chilled or frozen Nile perch (NP) fillets exclusively destined for the export market. The processing further produces vast amounts of waste water. Methodology: NP by-products and CP were audited by surveying three NP processing plants in Nairobi, Homa Bay and Kisumu. The three fish processing plants were purposively selected. Simple random sampling technique was used to select respondents as it presented every potential respondent an equal chance of being selected to take part in the study without bias. A sam...

International Journal of Bonorowo Wetlands, 2021

Abstract. Kinyariro MS, Njuguna SG, Macharia G. 2019. Challenges and opportunities of participato... more Abstract. Kinyariro MS, Njuguna SG, Macharia G. 2019. Challenges and opportunities of participatory management of Upland Wetland in kiambu county, Kenya. Bonorowo Wetlands 10: 52-65. Wetlands are continuously degraded through agricultural activities, pollution, and settlements. For example, in the Lari sub-district, increased population pressure decreased soil fertility, unreliable rainfall, and the search for food security forced farmers to encroach on the seemingly idle Upland Wetlands. Opportunities for wetland conservation lie in participatory approaches that can be applied at the local level to assist in conserving this vital natural resource. The main water of the Ruiru river comes from the Upland Wetlands harvested by the Nairobi Water and Waste Company in the Githunguri sub-district at the Ruiru dam. This research is critical because the water company does not have in-depth information about its catchment area, which leads to encroachment and ultimately rationing of water in...

PeerJ

Background Heterogeneous landscapes like those of Laikipia County, Kenya consist of a mosaic of l... more Background Heterogeneous landscapes like those of Laikipia County, Kenya consist of a mosaic of land-use types, which may exert differential physiological effects on elephants that occupy and traverse them. Understanding behavioral and physiological states of wild African elephants in response to the challenges of living in human-dominated landscapes is therefore important for conservation managers to evaluate risks imposed by elephants to humans and vice versa. Several conservation physiology tools have been developed to assess how animals respond to both natural and anthropogenic changes, and determine biological impacts. This study investigated how migratory and avoidance behavioral to vehicle presence, and vegetation quality affected fecal glucocorticoid (GC) metabolite (FGM) concentrations in African elephants at Mpala Ranch, Laikipia County, Kenya. Methods The study compared adrenal glucocorticoid activity of resident elephants that live within Mpala (n = 57) and non-resident ...