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The remedy in sight to subdue the invading poisoned enemy in the Kenyas Drylands – Global Issues

Hannah Sakamo’s dead goat surrounded by the tree Prosopis juliflora. Invasive species are a threat to rural livelihoods. Photo: Joyce Chimbi / IPS
  • by Joyce Chimbi (nairobi)
  • Associated Press Service

The goat in question, now numbered, ate the fruit, or fruit of the invasive species, Prosopis julifloralocal is called math.

Mathenge is a small, multi-seeded, fast-growing, drought-tolerant, evergreen tree native to tropical America, producing many fruits containing fine, tough seeds. To date, it is considered one of the world’s worst invasive plants.

“You can tell when a goat is on a hospital bed just by looking at its mouth. Goats cannot close their mouths, eat or drink water because their mouths shake and slide from side to side when the goat tries to eat. At least seven goats die every day in the six surrounding villages from eating these berries,” Sakamo told IPS.

Invasive species are increasingly encroaching on the semi-arid and arid ecosystems of Kenya, significantly affecting biodiversity and rural livelihoods.

Fredrick Chege, an independent researcher of invasive wildlife, says that of all livestock, goats and cattle are the most vulnerable. He told IPS that consuming the pods can cause neurotoxic damage to the central nervous system in most cattle and goats.

“Whenever the affected goat tries to chew cud during the herbivore’s digestion, you will see it vomit green liquid and its mouth quiver uncontrollably. Therefore, the digestion process cannot be completed,” he explains.

Once these symptoms appear, the goat will die of starvation within a few days. Herders do not eat animals that are hungry or sick even during drought. It is considered taboo.

Fish from Baringo County are not spared, he said. “Fishers in Lake Baringo, and Bogoria in the Rif Valley are used to catching deformed fish. Fish have no eyes because of thorns Prosopis julliflora species that have entered their eye-poking lakes. “

According to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Prosopis juliflora is one of many invasive species in the East African country. Research shows that there are at least 34 species; 11 arthropods, 10 microorganisms, four vertebrates and nine plant species including Prosopis julliflora.

Mathenge extremely difficult to control as it thrives in most soils such as stony soils, sandy soils, nutrient-poor soils and saline soils. It has very deep roots that can reach subsurface waters. Chege explains that it is impossible for it to coexist with other vegetation because it absorbs a significant amount of water.

“Even if you cut down Prosopis on the ground, they regenerate very quickly, forming thorns that are almost impenetrable, especially along watercourses, roadsides, floodplains and in general. is on uninhabited areas or bare land.”

Prosopis Juliflora was originally introduced to the drylands of Kenya as a solution to deforestation and to provide firewood. It didn’t take long for the solution to become a problem that has now spiraled out of control by displacing native plant species and endangering pastoral economies.

Once the species have taken root, Chege says it is difficult, laborious and expensive to get rid of them successfully because of the regeneration from the seed bank in the soil as well as because the plant regenerates from the cut trunk.

Prosopis juliflora Seeds also easily pass through the intestines of livestock and are deposited in the soil from which they thrive for a short time. Likewise, children love to eat the pods because they are sugary and sweet, and they also settle these seeds in the soil because they chew on the pods and spit out the seeds.

Government data shows Prosopis juliflora varies at a rate of 4% to 15% per year. The average cost to clear out a three- to four-year-old Prosopis bush in a 10X10 lot, says Sakamo, ranges from $10 to $30. A costly venture as invasive species can begin to sprout again after 4 weeks.

Research shows that the species is so prolific that ever since the first herb sample – a collection of preserved botanical specimens maintained for scientific purposes – was collected in 1977 in the coastal area. Kenya’s sea, Prosopis juliflora can now be found – to varying degrees of aggression – in seven out of eight regions in the East African country.

Prosopis juliflora was declared a noxious weed in Kenya in 2008 under the Noxious Weed Suppression Act (CAP 325), which means it is considered harmful to the environment or animals.

Under the Act, Chege said, the Secretary of Agriculture could compel land owners to remove any declared noxious weeds such as Prosopis juliflora from their land or erase it.

Elvis Kipkoech, a coal trader, said that the government allowed the use of Prosopis juliflora to produce charcoal as a means of controlling it through use.

This method has not worked, he told IPS, because unscrupulous charcoal producers were mixing invasive species with other tree species, prompting the government to order a complete ban on charcoal production. in Kenya.

In the challenging context of controlling this aggressor, a solution is presented in the form of the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Management of Prosopis Juliflora in Kenya.

This strategy aims to effectively manage invasive species through a combination of biological, chemical, mechanized and utilitarian methods as Prosopis can be used not only in coal burning but also to manufactures piles for furniture and fencing.

Meanwhile, Sakamo helplessly watched the negative effects of the scandal math suck the life out of her beloved goat; She called on the government to accelerate access to these solutions and hoped that this would be her last loss.

Report of the United Nations Office IPS


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© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service

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