Participatory monitoring and valuation of hydrological ecosystem services in tropical mountainous landscapes of Kenya

Abstract

Tropical montane forests provide water-related ecosystem services (WES) that are crucial for human well-being and sustainable development, yet these ecosystems are among the most threatened globally by conversion to other land uses and climate change. Despite their importance and vulnerability, the lack of hydrometric data and inadequate incorporation of socio-cultural values in decision-making processes makes it more difficult to plan for sustainable land use and water resources management in the tropics. To contribute towards this monitoring and knowledge gap, this dissertation examines the potential of using participatory approaches in monitoring and valuation of WES. First, a comprehensive systematic review based on a synthesis of 71 scientific studies on citizen science in the context of hydrology was conducted to understand the scope and future prospects of integrating citizen science in hydrological monitoring. There has been a significant growth in the application of state-of-the art approaches of citizen science in hydrology over the past decade, with successful implementation and contributions especially to water quality assessments. In the second part of this dissertation, a contributory citizen science water quality and level monitoring network was established at six sites within the Sondu-Miriu River Basin, a mesoscale catchment in South-West Mau, Kenya with the aim to evaluate suspended sediment dynamics. A two-year dataset generated by citizen scientists revealed that suspended sediment concentrations were highest in agricultural landscapes, and lowest in sub-catchments with high forest cover, indicating the impacts of land use patterns on suspended sediment dynamics in the region and the direct role of forested areas in providing important services in term of sediment regulation that affect the society. Data on suspended sediment and water level collected by citizen scientists using turbidity tubes and water level gauges validated with data from automatic stations at two sites, revealed a similar temporal pattern. Finally, the third part of the dissertation focusses on socio-cultural valuation of WES based on a household survey. Water provisioning, climate regulation, water purification, water regulation, and groundwater recharge were perceived as the top five most important services for societal well-being and highly vulnerable. The findings of this dissertation show that citizen science is a promising, cost-effective participatory strategy that can support hydrological monitoring and research in remote tropical mountainous regions. Additionally, socio-cultural valuation can be a useful tool for identifying relevant ecosystem services. This can help guide the prioritization and design of more effective and locally adaptive management strategies that promote sustainable livelihoods and environmental sustainability.