Recovery Status and Livestock Use of a Kenyan Montane Forest a Decade after Cessation of Human Encroachment

Montane forest ecosystems support biodiversity and provide varied ecosystem services to adjacent and downstream human communities. However, human-induced disturbances are common in many of these ecosystems, threatening their capacity to sustain their functions. This study assessed the status of woody vegetation and livestock use of a Kenyan montane forest 10 years after government-sanctioned cessation of human encroachment. The findings can inform suitable interventions that support recovery of abandoned forest settlements subjected to continuous anthropogenic disturbances. Selected woody vegetation attributes and livestock disturbance indicators were assessed across three human-driven disturbance regimes (light, moderate and heavy) using stratified-systematic sampling technique. Data on the extent of community dependence on forest grazing were collected from 381 randomly selected forest adjacent households using semi-structured questionnaires. Information on the palatability of plants to livestock was obtained from Focus Group Discussions. Vegetation data were analyzed using linear mixed models, while descriptive analysis was applied on household survey data. A total of 33 woody plant species belonging to 22 families were identified, out of which 55% were perceived to be unpalatable to livestock. Species richness, species diversity, stem density and basal areas declined significantly with increasing levels of disturbance. Specifically, these attributes were 59% - 98% lower in heavily disturbed sites than in moderately and lightly disturbed sites. A vast majority (88%) of the sampled households grazed their livestock in the forest throughout the year. Evidence from this study indicates that intense past and ongoing anthropogenic disturbances caused significant negative effects on the forest vegetation condition, and lowered its capacity to recover. Forest managers should prioritize minimizing recurrent anthropogenic disturbances as the forest recovers to ensure successful succession and sustainable provision of ecosystem services.

Ichthyofaunic Inventory and Fish Landings of Lom Pangar Hydropower Dam Reservoir in the Eastern Region of Cameroon

The Lom Pangar hydroelectric dam project located in the eastern region of Cameroon was implemented by Electricity Development Corporation (EDC). The impoundment of the Lom Pangar dam created a large reservoir with an area ~590 km2 and a useful storage capacity ~6 billion m3. Thereby, this impoundment has created favourable conditions for the proliferation of fishery resources. However, a fisheries assessment study based on fishing activities is essential to attain reliable information for implementing a management plan to achieve rational and sustainable exploitation. This study was carried out on the ichtyofaunic inventory and the assessment of fish landings in Lom Pangar hydroelectric dam reservoir from April 2016 to September 30, 2016. Three main groups of fishing gear have been identified, among which gillnets, traps and longlines occupy major fishing activities. Indeed, the spatial and landing sites surveies were conducted on species composition, size composition, and quantities of fish landed during the study period. Moreover, 37 species of fish divided into 16 families were found in seven different selected fish landing sites. Carp (Cyprinus carpio) was the major fish species abundantly caught by these fishing gears which accounted for 81.60% of the total catch, and the least species was sardine (Sardinella aurita). A total of 623,229 Kg of fish were landed which were dominated by those of the Wami landing site with 480,773 Kg representing 76.96% of the total landed catches. The smallest species caught was the white carp (7 cm) while the longest one was the catfish (71 cm). In addition, the species of fish in the breeding season are carp, catfish, viper fish and red tail.