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As noted by Bird Life International Organization, biodiversity is fundamental to human
well being for it offers multiple opportunities for development and improving
livelihoods for instance birds are indicators of the health of our environment alerting
us when our ecosystems are out of balance, support and regulate ecosystem services
such as pollination among others.
The Taita Apalis also known as Apalis Fuscigularis by its scientific name is a bird
that exists only in the Taita Hills, Kenya and has been marked as a critically endangered
species due to its rapid decline over the past few years. From 2001 to 2017
it was recorded to have significantly dropped from about 1200 species to 300
species and unfortunately continues to decline. It has been identified by Bird Life
Kenya Organization and the Kenya Forest Services that among the major reasons
for its decline is disturbances from human activities. As noted that the bird only exists
in Taita Hills, the lowland area of the region experiences a hot and dry climate
and as a result of the climate, increase in population and pursuit for suitable land for
farming and irrigation, human migration has been towards the hills. This has also
greatly affected the Taita Hills forested areas with about 98% of the original forest
being destroyed.
The genesis of this research was on the primary question of mitigation and adaptation
processes that can be used to combat the erasure of this species, however
upon further research and discussions with local practitioners actively spearheading
restoration and conservation efforts within the area, it was discovered that the
most integral part of the biodiversity is the forest for its ecological and cultural importance
to the local community more so than the birds. This distinction is rather
critical as described by Paul Gacheru from Bird Life Kenya, for a complete successful
restoration and conservation process of the species, it is important to create
awareness of the birds with the forests since the forest is of symbolic, identity
and ecological importance to the local community attracting community participation
and empowerment.
It is in this consideration that the project takes into account three points of views
as mitigation and conservation processes between the birds, the forests and the
humans and non humans.