Case studies of water-related PES schemes in East Africa

Abstract

The water-related PES schemes in East Africa considered in this chapter are Sasumua, Lake Naivasha - Malewa River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Programme, Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund and Uluguru project. The Uluguru and Usambara projects are located in Tanzania; the other PES projects in Kenya. These PES schemes are initiated by various organizations and NGOs in collaboration with government agencies, and were at different stages of implementation at the time of writing. The Lake Naivasha - Malewa PES program is located in the Lake Naivasha basin, which supports important biodiversity conservation areas: Aberdare National Park, Aberdare Forest Reserve, and agro-ecosystems on which indigenous communities depend for their well-being in the upper catchment, and the Oserian Sanctuary, the Hell’s Gate National Park, the Lake Naivasha Ramsar Site (145 km2 ) and associated riparian land in the lower catchment1,2 . Lake Naivasha is an inland freshwater lake of economic importance in Rift Valley, Kenya. The Lake is a vital source of water in a semi-arid area, and supports a flourishing horticulture industry with a substantial contribution to Kenya’s export trade. Designated as Kenya’s second Ramsar site without surface outflows3 ,, the Lake carries great importance for fishing communities, tourism, recreation, geothermal generation and the biodiversity around it. These sub-sectors in turn are dependent on the health of lake whose recharge in turn depends on water supply from the River Malewa’s upper catchments and the proper functioning of the riparian zones biofilter