气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Learning from local knowledge on changes in tree-cover and water availability: the case of the contested agroforested landscape of the Mt. Elgon Water Tower, Uganda

CCPortal

DOI	10.3389/frwa.2024.1283574
	Learning from local knowledge on changes in tree-cover and water availability: the case of the contested agroforested landscape of the Mt. Elgon Water Tower, Uganda
	Kimbowa, George; Buyinza, Joel; Gathenya, John M.; Muthuri, Catherine
发表日期	2024
EISSN	2624-9375
起始页码	6
卷号	6
英文摘要	Participatory Rural Appraisal was used to compare stakeholder perceptions of spatial and temporal variation in tree cover and water availability using Uganda's Mt. Elgon Water Tower as a case study. This study was guided by the research question: How do multi-level stakeholders' perceptions of changes in tree-cover and water availability vary across spatial and temporal scales of the water tower? Five Participatory Rural Appraisal tools were applied to understand multi-level stakeholders' perspectives on the changes in tree-cover and water availability. Data was collected from farmers' focus group discussions, key experts from local government offices and structured household interviews with local communities. This study focused on the upper and lower zones of the water tower, which differ in terms of proximity to Mt. Elgon National Forest Park, household water-use, elevation, and tree-cover. Results showed that there are both similarities and differences in perceptions of changes in tree cover and water availability among stakeholders. Farmers and key experts perceived a decrease in water availability and a decrease in overall tree cover for the period 1990-2020. There are differences in stakeholders' perceptions of water availability across the zones and sub-catchments. For instance, more farmers in Sipi River Sub-catchment perceived a decrease in water availability during 2006-2020 compared to 1990-2005 period. There were notable contradictions in farmers' and key experts' perceptions on tree cover. Farmers' perceptions of 1990-2020 precipitation were in agreement with trends in existing precipitation data. Declining trends of natural tree cover especially outside the Mt. Elgon national forest park pose great threat to water resources originating from forests. Changes in tree cover and water availability in the study area can be partly explained by the tree species grown. Local stakeholders' perceptions complemented the existing data gaps in explaining the changes in tree cover and water availability. Participatory Rural Appraisal tools are helpful for documenting the perceptions of local communities. However, this cannot replace reliable data resulting from large-scale efforts for monitoring changes and variations in tree-cover and water availability. The findings of this paper can be valuable to inform strategies for community involvement in sustainable agroforested landscape management.
英文关键词	Participatory Rural Appraisal; land-use and land cover; Forest-Water-People nexus; tree-water relationships; Sipi River sub-catchment; River Manafwa sub-catchment
语种	英语
WOS研究方向	Water Resources
WOS类目	Water Resources
WOS记录号	WOS:001205165900001
来源期刊	FRONTIERS IN WATER
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/306167
作者单位	Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Kimbowa, George,Buyinza, Joel,Gathenya, John M.,et al. Learning from local knowledge on changes in tree-cover and water availability: the case of the contested agroforested landscape of the Mt. Elgon Water Tower, Uganda[J],2024,6.
APA	Kimbowa, George,Buyinza, Joel,Gathenya, John M.,&Muthuri, Catherine.(2024).Learning from local knowledge on changes in tree-cover and water availability: the case of the contested agroforested landscape of the Mt. Elgon Water Tower, Uganda.FRONTIERS IN WATER,6.
MLA	Kimbowa, George,et al."Learning from local knowledge on changes in tree-cover and water availability: the case of the contested agroforested landscape of the Mt. Elgon Water Tower, Uganda".FRONTIERS IN WATER 6(2024).