Preparing ground for a publicly funded ecosystem restoration programme
Agricultural and industrial activities are polluting Lake Victoria with vast amounts of soil and chemicals. Since fishing is a major business in the lake region, interventions that mitigate soil erosion and pollution in river basins are necessary to secure the future of the fishing industry and the livelihoods of millions of people.
A deep gulley caused by erosion in the Nyando basin, Kenya.
The PRESA project is focusing on the Nyando and Yala river basins whose catchments are the cause of the problems mentioned above.
Using reward or transfer schemes for environmental services, PRESA partners intend to connect groups that depend on the lake with groups whose activities influence the lake’s health.
Activities
The PRESA project has provided scientific evidence to support decision making at the lake basin level; an assessment was undertaken in Nyando and Yala River basins to identify the sources of sediments as well as link these areas to land use change and sediment yield.
Environmental hotspots were identified, and will be the focus for government and stakeholder decisions on investments in ecosystem restoration. Ecosystem degradation in Lake Victoria basin has been shown to have a relationship with the hotspots of famine.
PRESA is currently building the case for a publicly funded reward for environmental services scheme for ecosystem restoration. This is based on the quick appraisal of rewards for environmental service mechanisms. Publicly-funded payments and markets for improved watershed management or ecosystem restoration would mean that farmers will potentially be rewarded if providing a service and therefore would get an alternative income stream.
Preliminary discussions on the establishment of a consortium were started with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, Lake Victoria Institute for Research and Development (VIRED), Maseno University, Moi University, World Neighbours, government agencies, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, parliamentarians and community based organizations. The purpose of the consortium is to collaborate with like-minded institutions to make the case for a publicly funded reward for environmental services scheme.
Opportunities and remaining challenges
The review of rewards for environmental service initiatives has provided lessons and experiences that can inform the design and implementation of reward schemes.
Partners
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Stakeholders
- Communities at the lower and upper Nyando and Yala Basins
- Local authorities
- Water Resources Management Authority
- Provincial Administration
- Kenya Forestry Service
- National Agricultural Livestock Extension Programme (NALEP)