A chronicling of long-standing carbofuran use and its menace to wildlife in Kenya - Carbofuran and Wildlife Poisoning: Global Perspectives and Forensic Approaches - page 54

Busia

Bunyala

BUNYALA RICE SCHEME

Port Victoria

Siaya

Kisumu City

Lake Victoria k Lake Victoria V i

Figure 3.2 Study area and bird poisoning areas (detail) in Bunyala

3.3.2 Methodology

3.3.2.1 Study site and study area
The Bunyala Rice Irrigation Scheme (approximate central coordinates 00°05.797´N, 034°03.658´E)
is located in Busia District, western Kenya. The study area encompassed an average radius of 5km
around the irrigation scheme, which allowed us to establish the extensiveness of bird poisoning in
Bunyala. The habitat is a dynamic man-made wetland; seasonally fl ooded at cultivation time and
seasonally dry at harvesting time until the next period of cultivation. The study site spanned approxi-
mately 1 000 hectares of the main farmland and another 500 hectares of disjointed, smaller satellite
farmlands. Figures 3.2 and 3.3 illustrate the distribution of poisoning in Bunyala (Magombe East and
West). Figure 3.3 also indicates that other than a few outlying points to the east and south, the main
rice scheme was the site of the majority of the poisonings.