Trail of Ecological Islands: the Impact of Urbanization on Protected Areas in Kenya, a Case Study of Nairobi National Park

The Nairobi National Park (NNP) serves as a flagship of conservation in Kenya, having been the first protected area to be gazetted in Kenya and also the first protected area to be engulfed by a fast-growing city hence making it the only urbanite National Park in the world today. Conservation in NNP mirrors conservation in the country. Management practices as well as challenges experienced in NNP will soon trickle and flood the wilderness parks as human population increases and colonization of idle lands correspondingly rises. If conservation fails in NNP then this will cascade to other protected areas sooner or later. If conservation wins in NNP then the survival of other parks in the wave of future developments around them and urbanization is guaranteed. To ensure conservation in NNP wins, threats to its sustenance need to be assessed and addressed, the park faces increased habitat fragmentation to pave way for development. Climate change, invasive species as well as pollution are the major threats antagonistic to its survival. This study sought to establish the extent of pollutant load in the park, the damage wrought and plausible remedies to thwart associated effects. Samples were collected in various sites along the river Mbagathi which flows through the park and in various watering points in the park. Samples of vegetation, sediments and soils within the park area, park areas neighbouring industries and hotels located at the park boundary were also collected and subjected to analysis. An analysis of selected pollutants was conducted. The parameters tested include chemicals that are persistent, bio-accumulative or toxic: these including; nutrients (phosphates and nitrates), fluoride, chlorides, and Heavy Metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, and Hg), physio-chemical parameters tested for include; Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Oxygen Reduction Potential (ORP), Salinity, temperature, Conductivity, Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Biological analysis on coliforms, macro-invertebrates in water samples was also done. Results show danger of compromise of the ecological integrity of the park. The findings yielded inform robust recommendations to pivot conservation in the wave of rapid urbanization.