Publication: Effects of Land Use on the Riparian Vegetation along the Njoro and Kamweti Rivers, Kenya
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2021-11-15
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NRF
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Scientific Research Publishing
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Abstract
Riparian zones are valuable ecosystems. They act as the ecological engineers
that improve river health by delivering a range of ecosystem functions. They
play a significant role in river health and provide various ecosystem goods
and services for human well-being. Currently, riparian areas are under threat
due to intensive human activities such as agriculture and urbanization, which
alter riparian ecosystem structure and composition. The main objective of
this study was to determine the effect of adjacent land use on the structure
and diversity of the riparian vegetation in the Njoro and Kamweti Rivers.
Along each river, three sampling sites were selected within the major land use
categories which were; forest, agricultural and built-up areas. At each site,
three 70 m long transects were established perpendicular to the river. The
three plots were systematically established, separated by a 5 m distance along
each transect. Forest canopy cover was estimated in percentage. Njoro River
riparian vegetation recorded a total of 145 plant species from 40 families
where trees and shrubs were dominant in the forest area, and herbs domi
nated the agricultural and built-up areas. In Kamweti River riparian area, a
total of 110 species from 45 families were encountered, in which trees domi
nated the forest area. A similar trend to the Njoro River was observed, in
which herbs were dominant in the agricultural and built-up areas. In Njoro
River, the Shannon diversity (H’) values ranged between 2.73 and 3.08 whe
reas Kamweti River riparian area values ranged from 2.59 to 3.40. At the level
of P ≤ 0.05, T-Test revealed that there was no significant difference in plant
abundance and diversity between the two rivers, with F = 0.53; P = 0.51 and F
= 2.71; P = 0.17. Human-centered disturbances along the Njoro and Kamweti
River riparian areas have affected the riparian vegetation as shown by the de
crease in plant species diversities, and the change in vegetation composition
and distribution across the land uses. Due to the present and probable future
scenarios of the changes in riparian vegetation observed, there is a pressing
need for an integrated approach for the management of riparian zones based
on various components such as riparian condition assessment, policy frame
work, stakeholder’s participation, management practices, legislation, and
awareness.
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Keywords
Land Use, Riparian Vegetation, Composition, Distribution, Diversity