By Linda Ogwell
Although Wetlands were the first ecosystems to receive international attention through the Ramsar Convention of 1971, a convention to which Kenya is party to, there is no official information on the types, status or location of any in Kenya, making these resource vulnerable to the threats of pollution, conversion into agricultural and settlement areas and other forms of degradation.
This lack of information has perhaps been a contributing factor to the fact that there is very little knowledge about the importance of wetland and many people see them as smelly swamps that harbor frogs, as clearly illustrated by a politician in a neighbouring country whom when accused of reclaiming one retorted “I am not a frog to live in a wasteland”
“Wastelands” as they are commonly referred to occupy about 3-6% of Kenya’s surface area, this is according to the final draft of the 2005 Sessional paper on National Wetlands Conservation and Management. Some of these include lakes Nakuru, Naivasha, Magadi, Elmentaita, and Baringo,; the edges of Lake Victoria , swamps like Lorian, Saiwa, Yala, Shompole swamps; plains like Kano plains and Tana Delta. Coastal wetlands include the mangroves swamps, sandy beaches, sea grass beds and coral reefs.
But what is a wetland? According to the Convention on wetlands (Ramsar 1971) to which Kenya is a party to, “wetlands are areas of land that are permanently or occasionally water logged with fresh, saline, brackish or marine waters including both natural and man made areas that support characteristic biota” This is a general definition that includes swamps and marshes, bogs, shallow lakes, ex-bow lakes, river meanders and floodplains as well as lakeshores and land shores.
In Kenya these rich ecosystems continue to support many communities which depend on them for fishing, hunting, cultivation, grazing and as sources of water and materials for building. Other very important functions of wetlands include flood control, erosion control, water transport, toxicant retention (water purification) and carbon storage which prevents excessive amounts of atmospheric carbon thereby reducing global warming.
Wetlands are also a source of hydropower e.g in Tana River, Kerio River and Sondu Miriu. They are important areas for scientific research, research that are used to monitor global environmental trends. We cannot dispute that they are have a deep-seated Religious and cultural significance.
Some of the major threats faced by wetlands include drainage and reclamation for human settlement and agricultural development. Being regarded as “wastelands” which harbour disease vectors like Malaria has lead to massive drainage of many of these wetlands. Increase human population has lead to a grater demand for land leading to reclamation of these ecosystems which in turn lead to loss in biodiversity.
Another major problem has been pollution from agricultural and industrial waste discharge. Lack of a comprehensive monitoring systems and a non-existent holistic institutional framework has greatly affected wetland management in the country. Currently different aspects of conservational and, management are handled by different agencies e.g KWL, East Africa Wildlife Society among others.
Poverty is another key contributor to wetland degradation. Most riparian communities engage in destructive farming practices, draining of wetlands and cutting of trees to make charcoal. Poverty and wetland degradation are intertwined and any step at conservation must address poverty reduction too.
A lot can be done to rescue our wetlands. Our neighbour, Uganda has already made big strides in wetlands conservation and in Nov 2005, it went on record as the first African country to host the 9th conference of the parties to the Ramsar Convention whose theme was "Wetlands and water: supporting life, sustaining livelihoods.”
There is need for the government to come up with a national policy into the conservation and management of wetlands. This national policy should encompass cooperation at national, regional and international levels.
There should also be a serious public awareness promotion. This should include public participation more so of communities that are depended on wetlands, the private sectors and NGOs.
World wide, artificial wetlands have gained prominence as alternative technologies in wastewater treatment, food production and other uses. According to environmentalists, in Kenya use of these has been minimal despite their many benefits. It is time the government took a step towards this direction.
The solution to wetland management and conservation lies with the community. Complete public participation into these processes and proper public awareness will make them realize that these ecosystems are not “wasteland” but “wealthlands”.
