Kenya is stepping up efforts to restore degraded forests, with the government, conservation groups and local communities working together to protect water catchments, wildlife and the climate.
The push comes amid deforestation, illegal logging and encroachment on forest land.
Under the national 15 Billion Tree Growing Programme, the government aims to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land and raise tree cover to 30 per cent by 2032. According to the State Department for Forestry, the programme covers forests, wetlands, farmland and rangelands, and is meant to improve water supplies, food security and livelihoods.
Kenya's largest water tower, the Mau Forest Complex, is the focus of a ten-year programme, the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme. It aims to restore 33,138 hectares of forest, produce about 40 million seedlings, rehabilitate wetlands and create at least 100,000 green jobs, according to the State Department for Environment and Climate Change.
During an October inspection, Chief of Staff Felix Koskei said more than 1,500 hectares have been restored, with about 1.5 million seedlings planted at the Marindas and Gacharage sites. He said conservation must go hand in hand with better living conditions for nearby communities. The programme backs beekeeping, avocado farming and agroforestry to reduce pressure on the forest.
On October 1, the Kenya Forest Service and its partners handed 68 restored hectares of Dundori Forest in Nakuru County to the government. Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko pointed to fencing, surveillance technology and natural regeneration as ways to keep illegal activity out.
The same day, the Kenya Forest Service and WWF-Kenya signed a five-year agreement on forest restoration, biodiversity and climate resilience. It covers forest protection, seedling production, community empowerment and rehabilitation of degraded public forests.
Illegal logging, forest fires, encroachment, limited funding and livestock trampling young seedlings all threaten the work. Changing weather and long dry spells can also kill newly planted trees.
That is why the real test is not how many seedlings are planted, but how many survive. Young trees need watering, protection and monitoring for years. Communities living next to forests can help through tree nurseries, indigenous planting and conservation education, but the work also needs steady government funding.
