UN wants Kenya farmers paid for wildlife protection
Cash incentives to landowners in mountainous areas are aimed to encourage them to protect wildlife. PHOTO | FILE
People living near mountains could receive monthly payments in exchange for good farming practices in a raft of measures aimed at protecting wildlife in East Africa.
Conservationists led by experts from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) want EAC states to craft policies to regulate cash payment to mountain communities to protect the environment for downstream users.
The Unep has been rooting for wide-scale adoption of payment of ecosystem services (PES) which has taken root in South Africa, India, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico and US where farmers get paid to protect watersheds.
Under PES, a state agency is formed to oversee payment of cash incentives to landowners in the mountainous areas to encourage them to adopt sound agronomic practices.
The money includes budgetary allocation and levies that the agency imposes on downstream firms that benefit directly from farmers’ activities.
Robert Wabunoha, a legal officer at Unep, says it would take regional co-operation to come up with market-based mechanism for rewarding farmers given the widespread and trans-boundary nature of mountains.
“At national level, most countries do not have specific policies, laws or institutions simply because mountains have not been recognised as unique ecosystems that might require special attention,” Mr Wabunoha told experts attending an ongoing regional forum on mountains.
He added: “This situation requires Africa’s immediate action and commitment in moving towards mountain governance and formulation of mountain specific laws, policies and institutions.”
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