Yala Swamp has potential to improve Kenya's ranking in SDGs 14 and 15

Swamps are a good source of food and water for the dependent community. Beside, Biodiversity conservation provides huge potential for tourism industry as well.

Kenya's media recently reported that after the demise of US-based Dominion Farms, local farmers proposed to invade Yala Swamp on the shores of Lake Victoria and lay claim to its resources. Yala Swamp is immensely valuable: the vast wetland provides food, fodder and fibre; filters and cleans water; stores carbon; and is home to exceptional biodiversity. Invading and parcelling it out, however, would cause further loss of precious resources.

An Ecosystem Services Assessment of Yala Swamp was recently carried out. It provided evidence that conservation of significant areas of the swamp is crucially important for the sustenance of ecosystem services that support the economy, biodiversity, and livelihoods.

Based on the findings of the Ecosystem Services Assessment, a Land Use Plan (LUP) for the Yala Swamp was formulated. The Yala Swamp LUP is a negotiated document which provides a framework on how land within the swamp and the surrounding areas will be used. The LUP, as a policy document is not intended to prevent investment and use, but to ensure development overall is sustainable and compatible with biodiversity protection. 

“Choices have consequences,” notes Dr Paul Matiku, Executive Director of Nature Kenya. “Those who want Yala Swamp demarcated from conversion to agriculture should also bear in mind that the swamp is a natural system that created to perform an ecological function. Without a swamp, the area will be as dry as the other areas outside the swamp. The County leadership need to embrace the approaches recommended in the land use plan: set aside areas for biodiversity and tourism; set aside areas for food production; set aside areas for small-scale nature-based enterprises; and set aside areas for communities to harvest papyrus to make sellable products.”

The ‘Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ recently released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), paints a gloomy picture of the health of Earth’s vital ecosystems. According to the report, destruction of biodiversity and ecosystem services is at an all-time high, threatening our own well-being and survival. It goes on to list land use changes, climate change, over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and invasive species as the main ‘drivers’ of nature degradation.

Yala Swamp is one of Kenya’s important ecosystems. Located on the north-eastern shore of Lake Victoria, the swamp is the largest inland freshwater wetland complex in the country. It provides valuable ecosystem services by filtering out harmful pollutants and excess silt and protecting water resources, helping to maintain water quality and fisheries in Lake Victoria, a source of livelihoods of lakeside communities in five countries. Yala Swamp is recognized as the home of important biodiversity, especially the nationally threatened semi-aquatic antelope Sitatunga; birds found only in East Africa’s papyrus habitat; as a refuge for cichlid fish believed to have become extinct in the main Lake Victoria.

Yala Swamp is also highly threatened. Land use change, mostly through draining of the swamp to create agricultural land for commercial and subsistence farming, direct exploitation of biodiversity, climate change and pollution are among the threats currently facing the swamp – the very same ‘drivers’ of loss highlighted by the IPBES report.

Concerted efforts by different stakeholders in the region to arrest the situation should be embraced. The Land Use Plan informed by Strategic Environmental Assessment that was developed with support from Nature Kenya in partnership with the County Governments of Siaya and Busia, communities, and the national government provides a good opportunity to ensure things are done right.

Balanced development needed

The “Balanced Development Pathway” as proposed under the LUP seeks to accommodate the interests of diverse stakeholders, thereby leading to reduced conflicts while embracing strong conservation ethics. This means parts of the swamp can be used for production while other parts will be maintained in their natural pristine state to continue providing ecosystem services. The cultivated areas will need these ecosystem services such as water. There is a great potential for the Land Use Plan to encourage local livelihoods through small-scale and community farming projects, investments in commercial farming and value addition in agricultural products, fisheries, papyrus products and conservation related enterprises including ecotourism. It encourages investments in the service sector, commerce, and industry.

As part of the LUP process, a community conserved areas (CCAs) model was adopted covering 8,404ha. A local committee comprising of representatives from all user groups was appointed to jointly manage the CCAs with the national and county authorities, thereby empowering communities to engage in sustainable management and use of biodiversity within Yala Swamp, guided by a draft management plan. A total of 320ha of degraded areas within the CCAs were restored through papyrus planting.

Communities are engaged in the conservation of Yala Swamp. Volunteers from the Yala Ecosystem Site Support Group have been assisting the National Museums of Kenya in measuring the conservation efforts by monitoring the populations of key wildlife species including mammals, birds, and certain fish species. For instance, the biodiversity survey findings of 2016 and 2017 indicated a significant increase in the population of threatened species. Cichlid fish believed to be extinct in the main Lake Victoria were caught, namely Victoria Tilapia, Singida Tilapia and Blue Spotted Tilapia. These cichlid fish, found only in the Lake Victoria system, were not recorded in the biodiversity surveys of 2015 and 2014. These findings indicate that conservation efforts are becoming more effective with most populations remaining constant or increasing.

A lot remains to be done to truly put the Yala Swamp on a sustainable footing. The different players need to work together to mobilize resources to facilitate the implementation of the Yala Swamp Land Use Plan.