Challenges · Landscape Restoration · Livelihoods · Water
320,000
1,000,000
Tropical Wet & Dry
Dairy, Fish, Floriculture, Livestock
The Naivasha Landscape consists mainly of the Lake Naivasha watershed or catchment basin that is approximately 3,200 Km² with diverse landform characteristics and development programmes. Critical land forms include Lake Naivasha at the floor of the rift valley and the natural forests to the upper attitudes. The Lake Naivasha and environs is important for its high biological diversity, recreational value, as a freshwater resource and generally as a source of livelihood. The presence of the lake has made the area a focal point of great national economic value supporting a highly vibrant intensive irrigation-based agriculture for cut flowers, livestock and dairy farming, geothermal power production, fishery and tourism industry. A ten-fold increase in human population in the last thirty years has led to severe environmental degradation, landscape alteration and unsustainable natural resources utilization. Urban development, commercial and small scale farmers have resulted in unsustainable water abstraction.
I was born and brought up in rural Kenya where the local community largely depended on the landscape to provide for livelihood needs. Most natural resources by then were in abundance unlike the strains experienced today. My training and experiences have helped me to understand landscapes dynamics and encouraged me to champion an integrated approach within the Lake Naivasha basin to guarantee sustainable social-economic development and environment.
Kamau Mbogo Ag. Chief Executive Officer, Imarisha Naivasha
I am a budding Environmental Specialist and GIS professional working with Imarisha Naivasha in the Naivasha Landscape. Working with the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature initiative has been very fascinating for me, as everyday I appreciate the complexity of landscape interactions more and better understand the need for multi-sectoral approaches to their management. Working with local communities, who largely derive their livelihoods from natural resources within the landscape, is my greatest drive to be involved in the landscape. I’m currently involved in promoting alternative income generating activities among the local communities through for sustainable livelihood and harmonious co-existence with nature.
Clarence Makau Environmental Specialist, Imarisha Naivashaa. Coordination and Leadership of the multi-stakeholder forums
b. Logistical support – providing venue and secretariat services
c. Collaborative Networks, Communication and feedback
d. The Legal Mandate of Imarisha gives it an edge and entices the stakeholders to collaborate and participate in the multi-stakeholder forums
e. Active Participatory environment for engagement
f. Visibility of Imarisha enhances that of the other stakeholders and encourages and them to work with Imarisha
g. Short- and long-term tangible personal and communal benefits accrued from the engagement (eg. Water projects, tree planting soil conservation, improved agricultural programs)
h. Reduction of publicity risks
a. Legal mandate
b. Technical Capacity - within the institutions and the collaborating partners
c. Capacity to mobilize resources and lead in negotiation and consensus building
d. Access to Information, Knowledge and Information sharing – as the leader and for the stakeholders for decision making
e. Public relations and inter-public relation, ability to communicate and ability to appreciate stakeholder’s contributions and opinions in consensus-building towards decision making.
f. Sound knowledge of technical issues especially relating to the sectoral stakeholders – Critical in opinion shaping
g. Ability for horizontal and lateral communication to reach high government maker and technocrats, development partners and the stakeholders even in the private sectors
a. Planning that will define the territory (common risks that affect their welfare geographical territory, scope of resources
b. Implementation forums - working schedules
c. Feed back Forums
d. Sustainable Enabling environment - resources, information, communication
Imarisha Naivasha is a government-appointed public-private partnership (PPP) tasked with the coordination and development of a plan to restore the degraded watershed and establish a sustainable development programme with the participation of all stakeholders. The Imarisha Naivasha Board is composed of representatives of key Government ministries, Commercial Flower Growers, Water Resource Users, Forest Resource Users, Beach Management Units, Pastoralists, and Civil Society organizations that operate within the basin.
A case study of the Lake Naivasha catchment, an area that has recently experienced extreme population and industrial growth.
More Info
