EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021

(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)

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5/22/2018 | 12:15 PM - 12:30 PM | BUILDING LINKS BETWEEN BIOMONITORING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION DECISIONS IN THE UPPER TANA RIVER WATERSHED IN KENYA | 330 A

BUILDING LINKS BETWEEN BIOMONITORING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION DECISIONS IN THE UPPER TANA RIVER WATERSHED IN KENYA

In Kenya and the African Continent as a whole, there have been numerous efforts to monitor and assess environmental conditions using biometric indices. However, the development and application of these indices has been slow to occur, a situation attributed to the complexity in calculating and interpreting indices. This makes them unusable by non-experts who are often key stakeholders in conservation decisions. A pilot study to develop and use the USEPA’s Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) in the Upper Tana River watershed showed that the BCG has built-in utilities including simplicity, versatility and its robust nature, which can be applied to monitor, assess and communicate habitat condition. In this study, BCG models were developed for both aquatic and terrestrial taxonomic groups of macroinvertebrates, fish, amphibians, birds and plants borrowing relevant attributes from the original BCG for each. Preliminary findings showed that macroinvertebrates and birds complement each other, with each taxonomic group reliably assessing habitat condition. We continue to explore emerging bioassessment methods and approaches that can effectually describe water and landscape condition, identifying high quality habitats for protection, directing investment for restoration and tracking conservation progress.

Biological Gradients & Thresholds
Conservation
Bioindicators

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Presenters/Authors

George Gatere Ndiritu (), Karatina University, Kenya, gatereg@yahoo.com;