Kenya’s
natural resources play a critical role in not only helping Kenya achieve her
goals but also in meeting some of the international protocols and obligations.
Environment PS Margaret Mwakima outlines to the Star the steps her ministry is
taking to make natural resources sustainable.
Rampant deforestation has hurt water catchment areas. What is your
ministry doing about it, and can a 10 per cent constitutional forest cover be
achieved?
In the past,
cases of degradation to water catchment areas occurred in various parts of the
country, mainly due to forestland being given out for human settlement, as
opposed to its core function of watershed conservation. Other causes of
degradation included human encroachment, forest fires, illegal logging,
overgrazing and charcoal burning.
However, in
2005, new legislation was enacted in the National Assembly that increased
stakeholder participation in managing forest resources, as it was evident that
the then forest department could not single-handedly manage this resource. These
included forest-adjacent communities, the private sector and other stakeholders.
The act also created
the Kenya Forest Service, a semi-autonomous corporation managed by a board of
directors. A major departure from the past scenario was on approval. Under the
act, no forestland can be given out for any other use, unless with approval by
resolution of the National Assembly after the proposal has been subjected to
public consultation and an Environmental Impact Assessment carried out.
Through involving
communities and other stakeholders, key achievements have been made in restoring
degraded indigenous forests, particularly in the five water towers — Mt Kenya,
Aberdares, Mt Elgon, Mau Forest complex and Cherangany — as well as in other, smaller water towers.
This has led to restoration and protection of about 850,000 hectares that had
been degraded.
Increased
surveillance of forest areas has been enhanced through recruitment of
additional rangers to the current workforce of 2,700 forest rangers to help monitor
illegal activities in forest ecosystems.
The service
has also enlisted the services of community forest scouts to supplement the
forest rangers. In addition, the ministry, through KFS, has evicted forest
squatters who had illegally encroached on forestland, whereby over 120,000
hectares of forestland has been recovered.
With the
enactment of Forest Conservation and Management Act no 34 of 2016 that became
operational on March 31, 2017, the service has a wider mandate to oversee
management of all forest types of forests in Kenya in collaboration with county
governments.
The service
has prepared and rolled out the transition implementation plans, transferring
some of the forestry functions to the county governments.
Other measures
taken to curb forest destruction include streamlining forest produce licensing
procedures through subsidiary legislations and community participation in
forest management through signing forest management agreements, among others.
As concerns
achievement of 10 per cent forest cover, the ministry is committed to attaining
the target by 2030. The cover is currently 7.2 per cent, and through the KFS,
the ministry has initiated partnerships with county governments, other
agencies, stakeholders and development partners to realise this
goal.
Reports indicate that most forests will be fenced to prevent encroachments.
What is the progress so far?
The idea of
fencing some of the key hotspot forest reserves was initiated to protect the ecological
integrity of these ecosystems by virtue of them being key water catchment and
biological diversity hotspots.
Forest
ecosystems fenced include the Aberdares (440km), Mt Kenya (Ragati 14 Km),
Naromoru-Gathiuru (14km), Karandi-Nyana hill (10km), Nanyuki-Kabaru forest (75km),
Chehe-Kangaita castle (50km), Chuka-Chogoria-Ruthumbi (40km), Meru (20km) and
Mau complex at Eburu (55km).
The initiative
to fence the forests was conceived by Kenya Wildlife Service, Rhino Ark
charitable trust, KFS and forest-adjacent communities to minimise human-wildlife
conflict and illegal forest activities.
The limiting
factor has been lack of funds, but this is programmed to be extended to all key
ecosystems in future.
What are the benefits realised after fencing?
These include
reduced human-wildlife conflicts, increased food security, increased land value
adjacent to the forests, elimination of forest encroachment and illegal
activities, such as logging and charcoal burning.
It has also
controlled grazing, reduced fire outbreaks and increased water availability.
How has the school greening programme helped the government as it
struggles to achieve 10 per cent forest cover?
The primary
objective of the school greening programme was to promote green economy
initiatives in schools and help inculcate the culture of tree growing and care
for the environment in the youth.
The school-greening
programme was also meant to demonstrate best practices on tree growing in
schools and to adjacent communities, while contributing to increasing the
national forest cover. The programme targeted to reach all public primary
schools.
The school
greening component had six intervention areas identified for implementation as
a package for each school. These are water harvesting for tree nursery and
woodlots establishments, tree nursery infrastructure establishments using
standardised designs, capacity building for schools and tree nursery and
woodlots protection.
To date, 105
schools nationwide have benefitted from this programme.
Some of the
key issues arising are provision of school greening programme in planning and
budgeting process, enhanced stakeholder collaboration and participation,
particularly with county governments.
The other one
is mobilisation of adequate funds to support large-scale programme
implementation.
Can the Bonn challenge of planting 5.1 million hectares of
degraded forests as committed to by the government be achieved, and if so,
when?
In recognition
of its international obligations to global climate change goals, the government
has committed 5.1 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscape for
restoration by 2030, as its contribution to the Bonn challenge and New York
declaration of forests.
This ambitious
project will be achieved through forest and landscape restoration process that
seek to regain ecological integrity and enhance livelihoods in the deforested
and degraded landscapes.
The process
will involve afforestation and reforestation programmes, rehabilitation of
degraded forest areas, farm forestry and commercial forestry development,
establishment of buffers along rivers, roads and wetlands, and restoration of
grasslands.
The success of
these efforts will strongly depend on close collaboration of multiple actors,
including government ministries, county governments, NGOs, communities and the
private sector.
Have you identified areas where all these trees will be planted?
We have
identified and mapped them out, and strategies are now being developed.
Major
transport corridors like the standard gauge railway have a potential of 100,000
hectares, major water ways have 50,000 hectares and forested areas have a potential
of 150,000 hectares.
Climate change is now being felt far and wide, with lakes such as
Lake Kenyatta drying up. Going forward, what needs to be done?
Climate change
is a reality and presents real threats to the survival of mankind. In the
Kenyan context, the expanding malaria zones, drying up of streams and river
floods in western Kenya, Coast and North Eastern regions, and increased
frequency of droughts are clear manifestations of climate change.
Overall, the
projected impacts of unmitigated climate change will have significant impacts
on human livelihoods, health, water resources, agricultural production and food
security.
Kenya has
committed itself to contribute effectively to global climate change mitigation
and adaptation efforts, including a renewed resolve to conserve all available
carbon store houses and enhancing its forest carbon stocks.
The country
has already signed the Paris Agreement and will shortly be submitting its
nationally determined contribution to global climate change efforts.
At the
national level, a climate change act and policy have been enacted to guide and
strengthen country efforts in mitigation and adaptation responses.
The National
Climate Change Response Strategy 2010, the National Climate Change Action Plan,
and the Green Growth Strategy and Low Carbon Climate Resilient Development strategy
have been developed to guide efforts towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient
development pathway.
The Forest Act
2016 has been enacted to further strengthen the country’s response to protect
forested landscapes and provide opportunities for increasing forest cover, in
line with national development aspirations.
The plan ahead
is for an elaborate programme that invests heavily in strengthening our
community resilience to the changing climate. These investments will include
massive forest protection and afforestation programmes, water harvesting and
conservation, climate-smart agriculture, establishment of solar and other
renewable energy sources and energy conservation.
There were plans to plant trees at the refugee’s camp once they
are repatriated back to their home country. Is that still the case?
The ministry,
in collaboration with stakeholders, has been involved in tree planting within
refugee camps in the country. With envisaged repatriation of the refugees, the
ministry, in collaboration with relevant county governments and stakeholders,
will continue with the afforestation programme to rehabilitate these areas,
which have undergone serious degradation.
Do you plan to plant drought-resistant trees in arid and semi-arid
areas to increase forest cover?
The arid and
semiarid areas cover 80 per cent of Kenya’s total land surface and hold 25 per cent
of human population. They are unique in nature and require special attention to
strengthen not only the economic base of the inhabitants but also the national
economy.
They also
offer the greatest potential for intensified afforestation towards achieving
the objective of 10 per cent forest cover. The dry lands of Kenya are unique in
nature and require special attention. Although frequently stressed by drought,
they are rich in biodiversity and have the potential to supply marketable
commodities on a sustainable basis, such as gums and resins, aloe, charcoal,
essential oils, silk, edible oil, fruits, honey and timber.
The ministry
is raising awareness on tree-growing among communities, promoting production of
seedlings by farmers, and purchasing and providing seedlings to pro-active
farmers in ASAL areas.
We are also
undertaking demonstrations on how to plant and maintain trees with farmers, mobilising
and engaging communities and tree planting for charcoal production producer
associations.
We are also
promoting efficient-energy utilisation technologies for conservation of planted
trees, as well as promoting commercial tree planting.
The ministry
is also supporting tree-based enterprise projects for farmers, such as woodlots
establishments.
The Ogiek community in the Mau Forest complex won a
landmark land rights case last month. What have you decided as a ministry?
The African Court on
Human and Peoples’ Rights gave them 60 days to indicate which of
their rights have been violated. They will now deposit with the court
violations that they feel needed addressed before seeking compensation, which
may be in form of house damage, resettlement or even relocation. We will wait for
the attorney general to advise on the way forward after they deposit their
claims.
