ISINYA, Kenya (PAMACC News) - After losing nearly all of his cattle to drought in 2017, David Ole Maapia, a young Maasai man who grew up in Kenya’s Kajiado County as a herdsboy is one of many residents from pastoralist communities who are slowly changing their way of living, to adapt to the changing climatic conditions in the country.
“It is already raining, and there will be plenty of pastures in the coming months. But following my experience last year, and also what happened to my neighbours, I can no longer keep cattle for more than a day,” said Ole Maapia, a resident of Isinya Township, 56 kilometres out of Nairobi City. “Instead, I have chosen to bank all my wealth in sheep and goats,” he said.
The 32 year old father of five children lost 48 cattle following last year’s dry spell. And for the past six months, he has been buying cattle almost every day, have them slaughtered the same day before supplying meat to designated hotels in Nairobi. He then uses the profit to purchase at least two or three goats every market day.
I already have more than 200 goats and sheep, and I know by December, I will have over 1000,” he said. “If I sell all of them during the festive Christmas period, I will have enough money to purchase a small piece of land within Isinya Township where I intend to construct commercial houses as an alternative source of livelihood,” he said.
Many other residents have as well abandoned cattle keeping, which has for many years been considered the most prestigious thing among pastoralist communities.
Though without any formal education, Ole Maapia’s switch in lifestyle conforms with key findings from a new scientific study in Kenya, which shows that cattle have been the most vulnerable animals to climate change in nearly all the 21 semi arid counties in the country.
According to the study conducted by scientists from the Kenya Markets Trust (KMT) with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), through a project known as Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE), average cattle population in all semi arid counties reduced by 26 percent between the year 1977 and 2016.
But the same study, whose key findings are currently being disseminated to targeted counties reveals that the population in sheep and goats increased by an impressive 76 percent in the same period, with camel population also increasing by 13 percent.
“This is a clear impact of climate change,” Dr Mohammed Said, one of the lead researchers told Thomson Reuters Foundation. “We say it is climate change because in the past 50 years, we observed increase in temperatures in all the counties with five of them recording more than 1.5°C increase in the same period,” he said.
The most affected county, says the scientist, is Turkana, whose temperature increased by 1.8°C in the past 50 years, leading to over 60 percent decrease in cattle population in the past 38 years.
According to the scientists, a research scientist, cattle can thrive well if average temperatures do not surpass 30oC and should not be below 10oC. But small animals like sheep and goats, and also camels can tolerate warmer temperatures, hence the reason why they were able to multiply exponentially in the wake of the rising temperatures.
“It is true that goats and sheep survived the 2017 dry-spell, and that’s why many people are now selling the remaining cattle stock to invest in animals that have proven to be strong enough for such tough conditions,” said Ole Maapia.
The Paris Agreement on climate change calls for international interventions to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.
At a county government level, four neighbouring semi arid counties in the country have come up with an initiative known as the ‘AMAYA Triangle.’ The County governments of Laikipia, Baringo, Isiolo and Samburu are now working together to address climate change so as to avoid resource based conflicts which are always associated with droughts.
Following massive deaths of cattle during extreme droughts, the counties are already establishing feedlots and fodder banks to help in fattening the most impacted animals, as a way of adapting to climate change, according to Laikipia Deputy Governor Hon. John Mwaniki.
“Climate change does not recognise boundaries. And so, if we solve a climate change related problem in Laikipia for example, without addressing the same problem in the neighbouring counties, then we will be creating a platform for conflicts among the residents,” said Hon. Mwaniki.
80 percent of beef eaten in Kenya comes from local pastoralist’s communities, and also from Uganda and Tanzania pastoralists. But with the rising temperatures, Dr Said feels that the most affected counties should begin investing in sheep, goat and camel value chains as a way of adhering to the prevailing conditions.
“The only way counties can adapt is by using such scientific projections to identify possible future scenarios and capture it in their spatial plans, because the current conditions are likely not going to be the same in the next 10 years,” he said.
PAMACC News - Illegal charcoal trade has been identified as key driver to deforestation globally. To stem the massive tide of illegally harvesting, production and exporting from different forests across the globe, Somalia has joined other stakeholders to push for cross-border efforts for meaningful results. The Somalia's government made their voice heard at the UN-supported conference on charcoal in Mogadishu, May 7th2018.
According to a press release from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) the Somalian government have joined other stakeholders to call for international cooperation in halting illegal export of charcoal.
Certain forestry products like charcoal are not allowed to be exported from Somalia the release say. The country has struggled to protect its natural forests from rapid and widespread illegal logging and for these measures to be effective, international cooperation with other African countries and Gulf states was imperative.
« “We need a holistic response to address the issues of charcoal in Somalia. Both the demand and
supply side have to be tackled – to do this we need cooperation to implement the UN Security Council Resolution and ensure the environmental, economic and human losses that happen because of illegal charcoal trade are curbed, » said the Deputy Prime Minister
It should be recalled that a similar call for international cooperation was made by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2017 to stem massive exportation of charcoal from Myanmar to China. The FAO tracks forest cover globally, said in the report that between 1990 and 2015, Myanmar lost about 15 million hectares of forest and other wooded land.
In Cameroon government officials say there is increasing amounts of charcoal burning for cooking and heating in recent years as Cameroon's electricity and gas supplies fail to keep pace with demand, raising concerns among forest stakholders about growing deforestation and carbon emissions in the country. The Cameroon government has also condemned this growing trend pledging to intensify efforts at eliminating the scorge in line with the 2012 UN resolution against illegal charcoal trade and export.
The charcoal supply for Cameroon's two biggest cities comes principally from the East region, which harbours rich forest reserves that are important for Cameroon in particular and the Congo Basin in general.
DEFORESTATION FEARS
Experts fear that if the energy crisis continues unabated it could contribute to growing deforestation that could worsen climate change and lead to more severe weather.
"Charcoal is obtained from the burning of trees, and if this trend continues you can imagine the quantity of trees the country is going to lose and what impact this will have for the future," said Ebia Ndongo, director of forestry in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.
Like in Myanmar, the export of charcoal from Somalia has been banned, both by a 2012 United Nations Security Council resolution and by the Somali Government, due to its destructive effect on the environment and its exacerbation of conflict and humanitarian crises.
The UNEP Press release says an estimated 8.2 million trees were cut down for charcoal in Somalia between 2011 and 2017,increasing land degradation, food insecurity and vulnerability to flooding and drought.
It has been estimated that over 80 percent of charcoal produced in Somalia is exported to Gulf States and neighbouring countries.
Illegal trade in charcoal is recognised as a key contributor to insecurity in Somalia, providing a major source of funding for militias, terrorist groups, and other actors linked to conflict, who illegally tax exports.
But Somalian government say they are more than ready to halt the scourge.
« Somali government is commitment to halting illegal trade of charcoal and providing alternative energy options, » the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Mahdi Mohamed Guled, reaffirmed at the opening of the conference.
He also called for urgent action and support from the
international community and countries that are importing charcoal.
“We need a holistic response to address the issues of charcoal in Somalia. Both the demand and supply side have to be tackled – to do this we need cooperation to implement the UN Security Council Resolution and ensure the environmental, economic and human losses that happen because of illegal charcoal trade are curbed,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
He notes that the environmental destruction brought on by the charcoal trade contributes to drought,flooding, the loss of livelihoods and increase in food insecurity.
« Together with conflict, this exacerbates the humanitarian situation in Somalia,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Peter de Clercq. “But due to high levels of poverty in Somalia and lack of opportunities, many are forced to turn to unsustainable and illegal livelihoods, such as charcoal production. The people of this country deserve better”.
Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, UN Environment Regional Director for Africa, also emphasised on the need for regional partnership to stop the unsustainable production, use and export of charcoal in Somalia, expressing the willingness of UN Environment to support such cooperation efforts.
“UN Environment and its partners are supporting the Government of Somalia to develop sound policy frameworks to support the ban and find alternatives to charcoal,” she said.
The UNEP Press release said participants at the event, were expected to develop a concrete road map for action, including enforceable regional policies, to halt charcoal trade, as well as itsunsustainable production and use within Somalia.
The high-level summit is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment, and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), with funding from Sweden, the European Union and Italy.
PAMACC News - Illegal charcoal trade has been identified as key driver to deforestation globally. To stem the massive tide of illegally harvesting, production and exporting from different forests across the globe, Somalia has joined other stakeholders to push for cross-border efforts for meaningful results. The Somalia's government made their voice heard at the UN-supported conference on charcoal in Mogadishu, May 7th2018.
According to a press release from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) the Somalian government have joined other stakeholders to call for international cooperation in halting illegal export of charcoal.
Certain forestry products like charcoal are not allowed to be exported from Somalia the release say. The country has struggled to protect its natural forests from rapid and widespread illegal logging and for these measures to be effective, international cooperation with other African countries and Gulf states was imperative.
« “We need a holistic response to address the issues of charcoal in Somalia. Both the demand and
supply side have to be tackled – to do this we need cooperation to implement the UN Security Council Resolution and ensure the environmental, economic and human losses that happen because of illegal charcoal trade are curbed, » said the Deputy Prime Minister
It should be recalled that a similar call for international cooperation was made by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2017 to stem massive exportation of charcoal from Myanmar to China. The FAO tracks forest cover globally, said in the report that between 1990 and 2015, Myanmar lost about 15 million hectares of forest and other wooded land.
In Cameroon government officials say there is increasing amounts of charcoal burning for cooking and heating in recent years as Cameroon's electricity and gas supplies fail to keep pace with demand, raising concerns among forest stakholders about growing deforestation and carbon emissions in the country. The Cameroon government has also condemned this growing trend pledging to intensify efforts at eliminating the scorge in line with the 2012 UN resolution against illegal charcoal trade and export.
The charcoal supply for Cameroon's two biggest cities comes principally from the East region, which harbours rich forest reserves that are important for Cameroon in particular and the Congo Basin in general.
DEFORESTATION FEARS
Experts fear that if the energy crisis continues unabated it could contribute to growing deforestation that could worsen climate change and lead to more severe weather.
"Charcoal is obtained from the burning of trees, and if this trend continues you can imagine the quantity of trees the country is going to lose and what impact this will have for the future," said Ebia Ndongo, director of forestry in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.
Like in Myanmar, the export of charcoal from Somalia has been banned, both by a 2012 United Nations Security Council resolution and by the Somali Government, due to its destructive effect on the environment and its exacerbation of conflict and humanitarian crises.
The UNEP Press release says an estimated 8.2 million trees were cut down for charcoal in Somalia between 2011 and 2017,increasing land degradation, food insecurity and vulnerability to flooding and drought.
It has been estimated that over 80 percent of charcoal produced in Somalia is exported to Gulf States and neighbouring countries.
Illegal trade in charcoal is recognised as a key contributor to insecurity in Somalia, providing a major source of funding for militias, terrorist groups, and other actors linked to conflict, who illegally tax exports.
But Somalian government say they are more than ready to halt the scourge.
« Somali government is commitment to halting illegal trade of charcoal and providing alternative energy options, » the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Mahdi Mohamed Guled, reaffirmed at the opening of the conference.
He also called for urgent action and support from the
international community and countries that are importing charcoal.
“We need a holistic response to address the issues of charcoal in Somalia. Both the demand and supply side have to be tackled – to do this we need cooperation to implement the UN Security Council Resolution and ensure the environmental, economic and human losses that happen because of illegal charcoal trade are curbed,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
He notes that the environmental destruction brought on by the charcoal trade contributes to drought,flooding, the loss of livelihoods and increase in food insecurity.
« Together with conflict, this exacerbates the humanitarian situation in Somalia,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Peter de Clercq. “But due to high levels of poverty in Somalia and lack of opportunities, many are forced to turn to unsustainable and illegal livelihoods, such as charcoal production. The people of this country deserve better”.
Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, UN Environment Regional Director for Africa, also emphasised on the need for regional partnership to stop the unsustainable production, use and export of charcoal in Somalia, expressing the willingness of UN Environment to support such cooperation efforts.
“UN Environment and its partners are supporting the Government of Somalia to develop sound policy frameworks to support the ban and find alternatives to charcoal,” she said.
The UNEP Press release said participants at the event, were expected to develop a concrete road map for action, including enforceable regional policies, to halt charcoal trade, as well as itsunsustainable production and use within Somalia.
The high-level summit is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment, and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), with funding from Sweden, the European Union and Italy.
PORTO-NOVO, Benin (Nouvelles PAMACC) - Depuis plusieurs années au Bénin, la transhumance réunit tous les signes d’un conflit mille et une fois reporté.
Il n’y a pas de saison où elle n’a pas eu ses morts et cela risque de ne pas s’arrêter si la méthode de gestion de cette activité ne change pas. De la révolution à la rupture, la transhumance apparait comme un phénomène sur lequel tous les gouvernements au Bénin se sont fracassés.
Enquête
De quoi s’agit-il en fait ? Selon Louis Gnaho, Docteur Vétérinaire à la retraite, « la transhumance est un mouvement cyclique et pendulaire des éleveurs en raison des difficultés dans leur localité d’origine de faire face aux nécessités d’affouragement, c’est-à-dire, de pâturage et d’abreuvement du bétail ».
Pour Marcel Houinato, Enseignant-Chercheur à l’Université d’Abomey-Calavi, « c’est un système d’élevage comme tout autre. L’éleveur quitte sa région avec son troupeau où les ressources font défaut pour aller vers d’autres localités où ces ressources sont disponibles, tout en ayant le regard derrière et retourne dès que les ressources sont reconstituées sur son territoire ».
La transhumance devrait alors se dérouler sans accroc. Elle ne devient un problème que lorsqu’elle est mal gérée. Le problème, indique l’Enseignant-Chercheur, c’est beaucoup plus lié à la traversée des zones qui n’étaient pas habituées à recevoir un grand nombre de bétail et en plus, la fréquentation de ces localités par les animaux à un moment où les activités agricoles sont encore en cours.
Agonli : la zone de prédilection de la transhumance
Covè, Zagnannado, Ouinhi et Zogbodomè sont des communes du département du Zou, au Bénin, très proches de la vallée de l’Ouémé. C’est là, où les plaines inondables offrent beaucoup plus de possibilité d’alimentation au bétail.
C’est d’ailleurs pour cela, qu’à chaque saison, la zone est envahie par une horde de troupeaux : dix à cinquante mille têtes de bœuf, en quête de la vaine pâture et de l’eau. Ils viennent le plus souvent du Burkina faso, du Niger, du Mali et du Nigéria.
Pour James Bojrènou, un citoyen de cette région, cette période qui va de la mi-décembre jusqu’à fin mars, est un traumatisme pour les populations de l’arrondissement de Tohouè, dans la commune de Ouinhi.
L’intéressé se souvient de ce qui s’est passé le 31 janvier 2013 dans son arrondissement. Sous prétexte de punir les habitants de cette localité pour les avoir chassés, les peulhs ont brulé tout sur leur passage au niveau du village de Tohouè.
Dès fois vous avez plus de bœufs que d’habitants. Quand ils passent, souligne Florent Hessou un autre citoyen de cette même région, ils réduisent tout en poussière. Or, il y a une loi qui organise cette activité. Il s’agit de la loi n°87-013 du 21 septembre 1987 portant règlementation de la vaine pâture, de la garde des animaux domestiques et de la transhumance.
Elle prévoit pour tout troupeau étranger, les portes d’entrée, les itinéraires et les zones d’accueil ou de transhumance. Elle détermine les périodes de transhumance. Le retour des éleveurs et des troupeaux transhumants dans leur pays d’origine est obligatoire.
La transhumance : un nid de corruption
Malgré toutes les dispositions prises, rien ne se passe comme l’ont prévu la loi et les textes. Beaucoup d’attitudes répréhensibles sont rapportées. Les témoignages sur des faits de corruption ne manquent pas.
Morceaux choisis, « les peulhs sont conscients des dégâts qu’ils causent. Quand ils viennent, ils corrompent toutes les autorités. En 2009, quand j’étais devenu le Maire d’une des quatre communes concernées par la transhumance, les peulhs sont allés me voir. Ils m’ont apporté quatre (4) millions. Ils m’ont dit que c’est mon cadeau. En plus, ils me proposent deux bœufs pour le nouvel an. J’étais scandalisé. Et comme je n’ai pas pris, ils sont revenus avec deux millions en plus, pensant que j’ai refusé parce que je jugeais la première offre insuffisante. Voilà comment ils fonctionnent. J’ai compris le système. Donc, ils corrompent tout le monde et quand ils commettent des forfais ils sont absous, confesse un ancien maire de la commune de Ouinhi ».
Le Préfet du département du Zou, à l’époque où nous réalisions notre enquête, a reconnu les cas de corruption dans les rangs des forces de l’ordre, qu’il a d’ailleurs sanctionnées, nous a-t-il dit. Mais quand il était question de nous trouver un peulh pour faire confirmer tout ce que nous avons entendu, l’autorité s’est pris les pieds dans le tapis. « Tu connais le peulh qui garde mes bœufs disait-il à son garde du corps, dis-lui de venir ». Cela confirme ce que nous avait dit l’ancien maire de Ouinhi : «Tous ceux qui ont une parcelle de pouvoir dans le département objet de l’enquête sur la transhumance sont des éleveurs ». Un autre maire, celui de Zogbodomè reconnait que la transhumance est « une cohabitation obligée malgré le fait que cela soit un danger pour nous »
A qui la faute ?
Aux intermédiaires d’abord. Il s’agit du premier contact du peulh avant son entrée dans une région. Ce sont ces derniers qui arrangent la situation du peulh et ses troupeaux auprès des élus locaux, des chefs de terre et de toute autre personne influente de la région.
En payant ces différents services et ces différentes personnes, le peulh se dit qu’il acquiert ainsi pour ses troupeaux le droit de tout brouter. Donc le plus souvent, il s’étonne de la réaction des agriculteurs et de toute autre personne supposée victime des gaffes de ses bêtes.
C’est l’origine des conflits avec à l’arrivée, des dégâts énormes d’un côté comme de l’autre et des morts. Dans cette région Ouest-Africaine où les changements du climat vont conduire de plus en plus à l’assèchement de certains cours d’eau, rivières, lacs et fleuves, qu’adviendra-t-il ?
Cela voudrait dire, des départs précoces pour les éleveurs et leurs troupeaux des régions du Sahel et un retour tardif voir une installation définitive dans les régions plus humides. Cela voudrait dire aussi que les populations des régions traversées, confrontées à la précarité ne voudront plus de peulh dans leur contrée.
La confrontation sera inévitable. Et comme le dit un responsable des structures du ministère de l’agriculture, le gouvernement béninois a beaucoup à gagner en organisant cette filière.
Il propose la mise en place d’un projet dont le rôle est de produire les fourrages et d’installer des points d’eau dans des zones bien déterminées de façon à rendre sédentaire le peulh et ses troupeaux contre une rémunération.
C’est à ce seul prix que la transhumance cessera de laisser derrière elle, des cadavres à chaque passage. Dans tous les cas, pays de provenance des peulh, institutions sous régionales, observent de loin le Bénin gérer ce fardeau, au nom d’un fameux principe : celui de la libre circulation des personnes et des biens.
