Dam construction and the degradation of floodplain forest on the Turkwel River, Kenya

✍ Scribed by W. M. Adams

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1989
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 918 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1085-3278
• DOI: 10.1002/ldr.3400010303

✦ Synopsis

A hydroelectric dam currently under construction is likely to have significant adverse impacts on riparian forest bordering the Turkwel River in northern Kenya. The forest is dominated by Acacia tortilis which depends upon river flooding. The River has a seasonal and highly 'flashy' flow regime, and floods are vital to recharge the floodplain aquifer. Flood regime, bruchid beetle infestation of Acacia pods, and the role of domestic herbivores in killing beetle larvae and grazing seedlings are important influences on Acacia regeneration. The riparian forest is a vital element in the grazing ecology of Turkana pastoralists, particularly in the dry season and in times of drought. Dam construction threatens the degradation of the forest both through reduced survival of existing trees and reduced regeneration. Such degradation would have serious implications for the Turkana.