Forest Ecosystem Services, Resource Utilization, and Household Livelihood Sustainability in the Kakamega Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem

Forest ecosystems provide essential provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services that sustain rural livelihoods while maintaining ecological integrity. However, increasing pressure from unsustainable resource utilization threatens biodiversity and the long-term sustainability of forest-dependent communities. This study examined the relationship between forest ecosystem services, resource utilization, and household livelihood sustainability in the Kakamega Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem, Kenya. Guided by the pragmatism research philosophy, the study adopted a convergent mixed-methods design that integrated quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were collected from 384 households using structured questionnaires, complemented by key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations to provide contextual understanding. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings revealed that local communities highly value the forest's provisioning services, including timber, firewood, herbal medicine, fodder, and food, as well as regulating services such as flood control, storm prevention, catchment protection, cloud formation, and greenhouse gas regulation. More than 89% of respondents acknowledged the significant contribution of these ecosystem services to household livelihoods. Non-timber forest products, particularly honey, medicinal plants, mushrooms, wild fruits, and fuelwood, were found to play a critical role in income generation, food security, healthcare, and livelihood diversification, especially during periods of agricultural and economic uncertainty. The study further established that respondents were highly aware of the environmental consequences of unsustainable forest resource utilization, including soil erosion, forest degradation, biodiversity change, species redistribution, and climate variability, although forest fires were perceived as a less significant threat within the rainforest ecosystem. The study concludes that the sustainability of household livelihoods in the Kakamega Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem is intrinsically linked to the conservation and sustainable utilization of forest ecosystem services. It recommends strengthening participatory forest management, promoting sustainable harvesting and commercialization of non-timber forest products, integrating indigenous ecological knowledge into forest governance, and enhancing community awareness of sustainable resource utilization to simultaneously improve rural livelihoods and conserve biodiversity.

Forest ecosystem services, resource utilization, household livelihoods, non-timber forest products, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods.

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