Arabuko at risk as butterfly export ban leads to logging

The collapse of the butterfly export business due to the Covid-19 pandemic has led to invasions of Arabuko Sokoke forest for alternative livelihoods.

More than 50,000 community members relying on butterfly farming for a living were left jobless when exports were suspended on March 5.

This was after their main market in the UK and the US closed business following the rise in cases of the coronavirus. 

The butterfly farmers are now getting into the forest to look for firewood, poles and timber.

This poses a serious threat to the ecosystem. Arabuko is East Africa's largest ecological conserved area.

The problem is also threatening the small forests around Gedi Ruins, which  has also been conserved for decades by the community around due to the butterfly export business.

Research scientist Hussein Aden, who coordinates the Kipepeo project in Gedi and helps in butterfly exports, said the ban has hit the industry hard.

Speaking in Gedi, he said Kipepeo project had an annual return of Sh18 million to Sh20 million from butterfly sales.

"But for this year, because we are now in the peak season, we do not know what will happen. Things can be worse if this situation will continue for another extra two to three months," he said.

He said 2020 will be the worst year for the butterfly industry.

Aden appealed to the national and county governments to chip in and support the butterfly farmers, whose self-reliance has been crippled.

"The world has turned upside down for the butterfly farmers and the butterfly industry," he said.

"So if there is a possibility to help them either with the food store, to buy them some rations and also some aspects of funds to support them, it will be appreciated."

He said they were notified in the first week of March of the possible suspension of butterfly exports from Africa and other breeders around the world.

"For our case, we prepared for our normal delivery on March 5, but what happened is that on that morning, we received an email from our client, telling us that please, you should not send anything that week," he said.

Aden said the communication caught them off guard since they had prepared well for the season. The scientist said in January and February is when farmers prepare the butterflies, while the export season runs from March to September or October.

In their case, breeders were busy preparing the farms and getting different species of butterflies in preparation for the season.

"But that notification from the client caught them off guard and that was the main livelihood they were supposed to rely on," he said.

"Since the inception of the project for the last 25 years, they have been putting lots of effort and investment into the breeding of the butterflies."

Aden said they have also been using the project as a strategy to bring the community on board to help in conserving the environment.

He said before the disruption, the average farmer could get Sh10,000-Sh20,000 per week from the trade.

"The income source has been completely disrupted. The community around the forest are supposed to fend for their families, which will force them to look for alternative livelihoods," he said.

Aden said for the last three weeks since butterfly exports were banned, they have witnessed huge pressure exerted on Arabuko Sokoke forest and the small forests surrounding the Gedi Ruins.

People get in late in the night or early in the morning to collect firewood and log trees for poles and timber.

Aden said the community is in dire straits financially since the savings they had were used in preparing for the season.

The scientist said the farmers used to deliver the butterflies  at Kipepeo project in Gedi and they would take them to Moi International Airport.

He said they were using three different airlines, including Ethiopian Airline, Turkish Airlines and Kenya Airways.

Aden said the three airlines depend on the costs of the shipment and also the availability of the itinerary on delivery days.

Even before the ban of international flights, he said, the airlines had notified them of a possible increase in charges because there was a very low number of passengers then and they were relying mostly on the cargo.

The scientist said their clients in the UK are currently in a very big problem.

He said they are in contact and sharing information and their concern is to ensure the breeders remain in the market because they cannot survive without the breeders.

Aden said they are in talks to ensure at least the farmers can be paid in advance through orders placed so as to continue breeding.

"The aim is once the market reopens, to have the normal flow of the butterfly trade," he said.

He said the clients are helping the farmers to make sure they do not abandon their business.

Aden said there is a possibility of compensating the farmers because they spent money to prepare the butterflies only for the market to collapse.

"They promised to support the farmers especially by buying the food stocks of their plants and other breeding equipment for the butterfly breeders in Kenya," he said.

Aden said they are working with over 800 farmers who are directly involved in the butterfly breeding.

Msanzu Karisa, a member of Magangani butterfly farmers, said they had prepared well for the season before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted their plans.

He said many farmers had high expectations of seeing a good season of butterfly farming.

"We had to stop supplying butterflies at Butterly Farm. We are not sure when the pandemic will end but the losses are huge," he said.

Karisa appealed for support from well-wishers or anywhere because there is no source of livelihood.

During the season, he said, they normally earn between Sh8,000 and Sh10,000 weekly because they have two markets, which are always demanding the butterflies.

Previously, forest destruction had gone down in the Arabuko Sokoke forest, he said.

But due to the current loss of livelihood, there are chances destruction will increase, Karisa said.