The "Biotic pump" and Mau forest

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

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Biotic pump model posits that it's the flux of condensation that drives horizontal airflows, not the temperature discrepancy between air masses, as had been assumed. Makarieva and Gorshkov note what happens when large forest areas are cleared: The ocean-to-land winds weaken and the rain-making process stalls.

One situation that seems to support the biotic pump is the plight of the Mau Forest Complex in Kenya, which has undergone rapid clearing. Changes of the type that took centuries in Europe — the conversion of virgin soil into agricultural land — happened during one generation in Western Kenya," says Pokorny, who has done research in the region. "People referred to it as a 'water tower,' as it supplies the Rift Valley and Victoria area with water. Over the last 15 years 200,000 hectares [nearly 500,000 acres] were converted to agricultural land. The rivers lost water. In 2009, in the rainy season, August to November, the rain didn't come. In recent years, the rain has been very weak. The lack of water stopped the hydropower station run by the Japanese. There's been a total collapse of life under the catchment." More than half of Kenya's electricity comes from hydropower. In 2009, several thousand families were evicted from the land in an attempt to restore the forest ecology.

It is well-known from the estimates of the fresh water reservoirs on land that if the ocean-to-land transport of moisture stalls, the fresh water will totally disappear on land in just a few years."

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

We are headed for a perfect ecological storm. Soils without carbon and hence life, damaged water cycles, rising populations, pollution. I feel for anyone having a child in Kenya.

[RV Pundit]

When we develop we will replant the forest like Europe ..now our best bet is to do tea and commercial tree farming..

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

When we develop we will replant the forest like Europe ..now our best bet is to do tea and commercial tree farming..

Are you that ecologically illiterate or are you pulling our leg? Of course, trees will whither without water and tea will not grow. No sustainable economic development take place in deteriorating environment - factories need water and resources, and no food can be grown in adverse climate conditions, meaning people will starve, no consumption, taking down the economy with it. Jesus christ!

[RV Pundit]

What is wrong with tea - is  not forest enough for you. There is no evidence of reduction of rainfall in Kericho for example. Hii tu ni panganga ya ujuaji kama nyinyi.

Are you that ecologically illiterate or are you pulling our leg? Of course, trees will whither without water and tea will not grow. No sustainable economic development take place in deteriorating environment - factories need water and resources, and no food can be grown in adverse climate conditions, meaning people will starve, no consumption, taking down the economy with it. Jesus christ!

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

What is wrong with tea - is  not forest enough for you. There is no evidence of reduction of rainfall in Kericho for example. Hii tu ni panganga ya ujuaji kama nyinyi.

The first casualties of the destruction of the Mau forest complex have ironically been the residents of Kericho, where community leaders have in the past frequently voiced opposition to the eviction of squatters who have encroached on the all-important forest complex. On current evidence, the area’s tea-based economy has suffered tremendously.

Already, officials at the biggest tea company in East Africa say that continued destruction of the Mau could lead to the firm abandoning production altogether.

“If the Mau disappears, I don’t think we can grow tea in this area any more,” said Hugo Douglas-Dufresne, technical director at Finlays Kenya.

Tea requires regular rainfall and dies whenever rains fail,” Mr Douglas-Dufresne said, adding that a combination of the prevailing drought and the dwindling of the Mau Forest is affecting tea production increasingly negatively. He said that his company has already closed down four of its 60 factories.

[RV Pundit]

Nonsense.kenya tea production has increased annually

[Kadudu]

Pundit just amazes me. As a person who went to school he sometimes argues like an illiterate. Surely, when will Kenya "develop"? We all know that will not happen in the next 50years. So in that time we just distract our nature and hope for the best in future.
The development of Europe and Africa are too different for any comparisons. Did the European nations have the population explosion we now have? Just start there before making any comparison.

Are you that ecologically illiterate or are you pulling our leg? Of course, trees will whither without water and tea will not grow. No sustainable economic development take place in deteriorating environment - factories need water and resources, and no food can be grown in adverse climate conditions, meaning people will starve, no consumption, taking down the economy with it. Jesus christ!

[RV Pundit]

Of course - that is why they went all over the world - colonizing - and grabbing land. Sustainable development doesn't mean you don't touch the enviroment or forest. You're just sentimental about the enviroment - not realistic. Poverty is our top problem.

Pundit just amazes me. As a person who went to school he sometimes argues like an illiterate. Surely, when will Kenya "develop"? We all know that will not happen in the next 50years. So in that time we just distract our nature and hope for the best in future.
The development of Europe and Africa are too different for any comparisons. Did the European nations have the population explosion we now have? Just start there before making any comparison.

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

Of course - that is why they went all over the world - colonizing - and grabbing land. Sustainable development doesn't mean you don't touch the enviroment or forest. You're just sentimental about the enviroment - not realistic. Poverty is our top problem.

So you would advocate exploiting the Mau Forest for example?

[RV Kirgit]

Of course - that is why they went all over the world - colonizing - and grabbing land. Sustainable development doesn't mean you don't touch the enviroment or forest. You're just sentimental about the enviroment - not realistic. Poverty is our top problem.

So you would advocate exploiting the Mau Forest for example?

Forest resources should be sustainably exploited. They are there to benefit mankind.

What is at play is pure politics. Nothing more.

We cannot have trees at top of living organism hierarchy.

What this shenanigans fail to mention is that RV has biggest plant cover per unit landmass area. People plant and care for trees in their farms.

ODMoron areas have lowest tree population in arable kenya while they bleet how others are destroying their livelihood upstream!

Meanwhile gov is shredding pastoral land and giving rich white supremacy in the name of conservation.

[RV Pundit]

Very much - bee keeping, hunting, logging, if done sustainably the forest will regenerate itself. Mau is home to Okiek. They live off it. Just the same way Luos live off Lake Victoria. Why don't we evict Luo fishermen from Lake?

Exploit Nam Lowle downstream and allows us in the upstream to exploit MAU. The key word is sustainability - we don't over use - you don't over fish.

Hasira na chuki wacha. You can imagine Kenya Forest Services has denied Bomet water supply that would have come from Bosto dam in Mau forest - they have held to the license - and now a million people that could have benefited from pipe water - have to expend energies ferrying water.

This is Uhuru legacy.

So you would advocate exploiting the Mau Forest for example?

[RV Pundit]

You can bet these ODMorons have never planted a SINGLE tree all their lives.

Visit their land - it's like Maasai - a desert - and yet it's very arable. Visit any kalenjin land - you can see trees and trees - because we plant trees everytime.

Like a Maasai - they will lecture you about forest - yet will never lift a finger to plant a tree.

10% forest cover can be achieved if everyone behaved like Kalenjin and GEMA - GEMA plant trees - that I give it to them. But Luos, Luhyas, Maasai, Coast - those people need serious tree planting education.

Forest resources should be sustainably exploited. They are there to benefit mankind.

What is at play is pure politics. Nothing more.

We cannot have trees at top of living organism hierarchy.

What this shenanigans fail to mention is that RV has biggest plant cover per unit landmass area. People plant and care for trees in their farms.

ODMoron areas have lowest tree population in arable kenya while they bleet how others are destroying their livelihood upstream!

Meanwhile gov is shredding pastoral land and giving rich white supremacy in the name of conservation.

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

Forest resources should be sustainably exploited. They are there to benefit mankind.

What is at play is pure politics. Nothing more.

We cannot have trees at top of living organism hierarchy.

What this shenanigans fail to mention is that RV has biggest plant cover per unit landmass area. People plant and care for trees in their farms.

ODMoron areas have lowest tree population in arable kenya while they bleet how others are destroying their livelihood upstream!

Meanwhile gov is shredding pastoral land and giving rich white supremacy in the name of conservation.

So in effect you condone squatters settling and destroying the country's most vital water catchment area?

Be careful what you say, it will be held against you in the court of public opinion. There is a reason Ruto himself disavowed those settlers despite his tribal affiliations. He knows once you destroy Mau they won't be a country to loot but a desert living off foreign food aid.

[RV Pundit]

Those already settled - should remain there. Gov slept and squattors took adverse possesion. You cannot evict 100K human beings to the streets - and lecture us about forest. Gov should focus on the remaining Mau - fence it - and then think about other means to increase forest cover - including commercial forestry.

So in effect you condone squatters settling and destroying the country's most vital water catchment area?

Be careful what you say, it will be held against you in the court of public opinion. There is a reason Ruto himself disavowed those settlers despite his tribal affiliations. He knows once you destroy Mau they won't be a country to loot but a desert living off foreign food aid.

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

Very much - bee keeping, hunting, logging, if done sustainably the forest will regenerate itself. Mau is home to Okiek. They live off it. Just the same way Luos live off Lake Victoria. Why don't we evict Luo fishermen from Lake?

Exploit Nam Lowle downstream and allows us in the upstream to exploit MAU. The key word is sustainability - we don't over use - you don't over fish.

Hasira na chuki wacha. You can imagine Kenya Forest Services has denied Bomet water supply that would have come from Bosto dam in Mau forest - they have held to the license - and now a million people that could have benefited from pipe water - have to expend energies ferrying water.

This is Uhuru legacy.

Big difference - YOU ARE ILLEGAL SETTLERS, and you are destroying the forest not coexisting with it. Do fishermen drain the lake? Do you take us for dupes. Stop reproducing like rats, practice family planning and live sustainably - look after the environment.

[RV Pundit]

Kibera sit in Ngong forest. And Luos can never lecture anybody on family planning and enviroment. Which slum in Kenya don't you dominate. Even the ones inside my rural place.

I can estimate more than half Luos live in urban slums - those are ILLEGAL settlers.

If Gov was to become as vindictive as you - they would raze them down - and send  more than 2.5m Luos to the streets.

Big difference - YOU ARE ILLEGAL SETTLERS, and you are destroying the forest not coexisting with it. Do fishermen drain the lake? Do you take us for dupes. Stop reproducing like rats, practice family planning and live sustainably - look after the environment.

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

Those already settled - should remain there. Gov slept and squattors took adverse possesion. You cannot evict 100K human beings to the streets - and lecture us about forest. Gov should focus on the remaining Mau - fence it - and then think about other means to increase forest cover - including commercial forestry.

Come on pundit, I thought you were patriotic when lecturing us on the utility of the SGR and infrastructure but I see here you are putting on tribal lenses and putting tribe before country. Kumbe you were a two cent patriot, only when it serves you.

[RV Pundit]

How is evicting people to the cold - SGR and Infrastructure. You're creating human crisis - that will lead to many problems. If Gov want to evict settlers - find them land - and settle them there. If Mau is of such importances.

For you - Luos living illegally all over Kenya - are more special - than poor people living in Mau?

Gov slept - and woke up too late.  I can never advocate for them to raze down slums - the same way I cannot advocate for forest eviction without alternative settlemnt.

Human rights triump tree rights. Find them even 1/4 acre alternative land - dump them there.

Come on pundit, I thought you were patriotic when lecturing us on the utility of the SGR and infrastructure but I see here you are putting on tribal lenses and putting tribe before country. Kumbe you were a two cent patriot, only when it serves you.

[RV Kirgit]

Gov should be getting people out of poverty. It's the common denominator.

Fighting people just takes those people to more poverty and systemic problems cascade society.