Influence of Land Ownership Security on Land Use Changes in Mwatate Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya

IF 1.7 4区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Bonventure Mwanzi Obeka, Elisabeth Wacker, Halimu Shauri, Walter Timo de Vries
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Abstract

Background and Aims: The rising global population has increased land demand due to the increased need for agricultural and settlement spaces. Land ownership security tremendously impacts environmental sustainability because it influences ecological decisions. Kenya's land ownership and land use changes nexus has not received sufficient attention. Consequently, we explored this research gap in Mwatate Sub County, Taita County, Kenya. Methods: A sample size of 301 households was selected using stratified proportionate and simple random sampling techniques. A cross-sectional survey research design was used, while data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. The Neo-Malthusian theory was adopted as a theoretical framework. Results: Results revealed that most (85.6%) households had insecure land ownership rights. Most (64.1%) households inherited land and had no Title deeds. Accordingly, findings reveal unsustainable land use practices, including deforestation, tree logging, high fuelwood use, bush clearance for human settlement and cultivation, poor farming methods, and overreliance on agriculture for livelihood. Using a 95% confidence level, Chi-square tests revealed a significant relationship between agricultural land use changes and land ownership security. Our findings concluded that insecure land ownership influenced agricultural expansion, deforestation, clearing of land for human settlement, and the type of farming techniques adopted by farmers. Implications for Conservation: Taita Taveta is a vital biodiversity hotspot that continues to be degraded by human activities. The correlation between land ownership and land use changes established by our study confirms the impending land degradation and threat to biodiversity loss. This is coupled with the concern that approximately 62% and 11% of the county are under a National Park and sisal estates, respectively, implying a growing threat to biodiversity loss and the need for enhanced conservation efforts in the area. This calls for the need to address the constant land issues in the area to incentivize sustainable land use practices.
肯尼亚泰塔塔韦塔县 Mwatate 子县土地所有权保障对土地利用变化的影响
背景和目的:由于对农业和居住空间的需求增加,全球人口不断增长,对土地的需求也随之增加。土地所有权安全对环境可持续性产生了巨大影响,因为它会影响生态决策。肯尼亚的土地所有权与土地使用变化之间的关系尚未得到足够重视。因此,我们在肯尼亚泰塔县 Mwatate 子县探索了这一研究空白。研究方法采用分层比例和简单随机抽样技术,抽取了 301 个家庭作为样本。采用横断面调查研究设计,并使用半结构式问卷收集数据。采用新马尔萨斯理论作为理论框架。研究结果结果显示,大多数家庭(85.6%)的土地所有权没有保障。大多数家庭(64.1%)继承了土地,但没有地契。因此,调查结果揭示了不可持续的土地使用方式,包括砍伐森林、砍伐树木、大量使用薪材、为人类定居和耕种而清除灌木、耕作方法落后以及过度依赖农业谋生。采用 95% 的置信水平进行的卡方检验显示,农业用地变化与土地所有权保障之间存在显著关系。我们的研究结果表明,不安全的土地所有权会影响农业扩张、森林砍伐、为人类定居而开垦土地以及农民采用的耕作技术类型。对自然保护的意义:泰塔塔韦塔是一个重要的生物多样性热点地区,但由于人类活动,该地区的生物多样性持续退化。我们的研究确定了土地所有权和土地使用变化之间的相关性,这证实了土地退化和生物多样性丧失的威胁迫在眉睫。此外,该县约 62% 和 11% 的土地分别属于国家公园和剑麻种植园,这意味着生物多样性丧失的威胁日益严重,需要加强该地区的保护工作。这就需要解决该地区持续存在的土地问题,以鼓励可持续的土地利用方式。
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来源期刊
Tropical Conservation Science
Tropical Conservation Science BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION-
CiteScore
3.60
自引率
5.90%
发文量
16
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: Tropical Conservation Science is a peer-reviewed, open access journal that publishes original research papers and state-of-the-art reviews of broad interest to the field of conservation of tropical forests and of other tropical ecosystems.
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