Tree Conservation Challenges among the Indigenous Pastoral Rendille Community in Marsabit, Kenya

Every environment is surrounded by traditional people who have lived in the geographic location for a long time and use their particular knowledge to cohabit with the natural ecosystem. This study assessed challenges encountered towards tree conservation by the Rendille pastoral community in Kenya. Selected tree species; Olea europaea, Terminalia sp. and Hyphaene compressa, that are commonly used by the community were identified and the probable threats towards their conservation. Some of these tree conservation challenges by the indigenous Rendille were: charcoal burning and fuel wood consumption, demand of traditional tree medicinal value, climate variability extremes and demand for land for settlement by the community. The results indicate that, charcoal burning (84.4%) and demand for traditional tree medicine (77.3%) were leading causes frustrating tree conservation among the Rendille. To mitigate these challenges, the respondents indicated that, creation of awareness (89.1%) and promotion of other sources of fuel (78.9%) could be vital factors. The study recommends Integration of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) with formal education to enhance conservation of the mentioned tree species. Original Research Article Ekalo et al.; AJGR, 4(3): 18-23, 2021; Article no.AJGR.70332 19


INTRODUCTION
Rural communities have relied on local knowledge to maintain their habitats for millennia [1]. Rural people have established a body of knowledge on forest and wildlife protection by learning through experiences, imitating, and observing. In this sense, conservation refers to the procedures of preserving, safeguarding, and managing forest and wildlife resources. For the supply of ecosystem products and services, spiritual and cultural values, and nutrient cycles, forests are essential. Many of these commodities and services rely heavily on biodiversity. Forest and wildlife resources, on the other hand, are disappearing at an alarming rate around the world (Dudley et al., 2014). Between 1995 and 2015, the globe lost about 70 million hectares of primary forest. While enormous swaths of forest are being burned to support growing lumber companies, other woods face wildfire dangers. Forest degradation has steadily reduced biodiversity, scenic views of landscapes, and ecological functions such as the production of commodities and services for human needs. The loss of biodiversity has a negative impact on rural livelihoods and threatens the food, energy, and health security of local populations. Drivers of biodiversity loss may also increase land degradation, habitat loss for migratory species, soil fertility deterioration, and tourism potential [2]. Threatened ecosystems through human overexploitation, results to ecosystem degradation threshold. Therefore, the ecosystem fails to support it carrying capacity leading to extinction of animals and microorganism and habitat loss (Kimaro & Muturi, 2013). These ecosystem stressors include; climate change, forest fires, invasive species, and eutrophication. Thus, these environmental problems need prudent ecosystem conservation measures. According to [3], ecosystem conservation is the wise or innovative use of natural resources for a sustainable society. These inventions can be either modern innovations or traditional inventions. It is difficult to exist without interacting with the environment. However, these interactions at some point neglected the bio capacity rate of nature as nations and individuals focus on the economic growth that degrade the physical environment. Most companies depend on nature for raw materials like timber, fiber and fruits [4] indigenous people depend on it for medicine and food through hunting and gathering.
The setbacks that result on unequivocal utilization of the natural environment include; massive soil erosion and landslides, loss of biological and key indicator species [5]. Ecosystem conservation can be through afforestation, reforestation, and agroforestry to enhance the microclimate, using of organic manure to enhance soil fertility and reduce eutrophication. Environmental education [6] is also a way of bringing communities together for awareness, skill development and participatory approaches in conservation activities to change values and attitudes towards sustainable environment and ecosystem restoration [7]. However, most of these ways are modern and require a lot of resources. Therefore, it is a noble idea to consider the indigenous knowledge systems in ecosystem conservation and restoration which is realistic and viable to implement. In addition, modern innovations can be integrated with the indigenous knowledge system for a collective participatory approach.
Every ecosystem is surrounded by specific traditional people that have lived in it for a long period of time and usetheir unique knowledge to coexist. Marsabit County is a green island in Chalbi desert in the Northen Kenya with a variety of mountains and Marsabit tropical rainforest with evergreen forest cover with species like Cassipourea malosana, Podocarus gracilior, Olea africana, Juniperus procera and, Croton megalocarpus [8]. This ecosystem is very fragile within the desert therefore requires maximum attention by the government and the communities such as the Gabbra, Samburu and the Rendille. The study assessed tree conservation challenges within the Rendille community in Kenya.

METHODOLOGY
The study used a descriptive research design to collect data among the Rendille pastoral community in Marsabit County, Kenya. To sample the respondents, systematic random sampling was employed at community household level to assess tree conservation challenges. A total of 128 respondents were sampled through probability sampling. A closed ended

Study Area
This is study was carried out in Marsabit county previously North Eastern province [9]. It is a dry land that falls in ASALs in Kenya These conservation challenges were ranked in a 5 where; 1 on scale represents the biggest challenge as 5 represents the least challenge on conservation of selected trees.
From the results, charcoal burning and fuel consumption was ranked as leading major challenge (n=108, 84.4%) faced by the Rendille community on tree conservation. The second conservation challenge of concern was demand for traditional medicine (n=99,77.3%) by the Rendille community. Other least viewed challenges by the respondents were timber trading at 47.7% and demand for land at 42.2%. Climate variability extremes challenge towards conservation was viewed to be above average with a responded ranking index of 73.4% by the respondents. From the results, it can be noted that demand for forest resources is overburdened by increasing population in Marsabit by the Rendille community to sustain their socioeconomic livelihoods.
Globally, forests are critical in providing numerous services, both productive and ecological. Forests not only regulate the hydrological processes and pollution, but they are also essential in mitigating climate change [12]. Through habitat loss and demand of forest resources have proliferated decline of forests from 4,128 billion hectares in 1994 to 3,999 billion hectares in 2015 around the world [13]. The study indicates that, global south countries depend on forest resources for biomass energy and timber production. Indigenous communal forests are further threatened in Kenya with their unique hardwood trees that enhance their demand. However, the results (Table 1) find charcoal burning and demand for traditional medicine consequential to selected tree species among the Rendile community in Kenya.

Remedies towards Sustainable Tree
Conservation among the Rendille Community  [16], indicate that environmental conservation is domiciled by enhanced human attitude change which is in line with awareness creation effort indicated by the respondents

CONCLUSION
Demand for charcoal and tree medicinal value need immediate critical response towards conservation of forest resources among the indigenous Rendille Community in Kenya. Limited conservational knowledge is consequential with existing forest resources in Semi-Arid Lands occupied by pastoral communities in Kenya like the case of the Rendille. It is therefore paramount to build capacity driven both by informal and formal education approach towards sustainability of forests in these communities. This can be through sustainable environmental education where formal and indigenous knowledge is integrated as a discourse to existing forest laws in Kenya.

Integration of Indigenous Knowledge (IK)
with the formal education to enhance conservation of the mentioned tree species. 2. Localizing forest conservation laws and policies at communal set-up through partipatory forest management where pastoral communities should act as key stakeholders. 3. Provision of alternative sources of energy to pastoral communities to curb fast loss of forest cover. 4. Engaging indigenous pastoral communities like the Rendille on sustainable use of forest resources.