Nyandarua: The government through the Kenya Forest Services (KFS) has urged citizens to utilise the ongoing short rains to plant trees. This is in line with a bid to accelerate national efforts in landscape and ecosystem restoration under the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration (2023-2031) through the 15 billion Tree Growing Initiative.
According to Kenya News Agency, the strategy seeks to restore degraded ecosystems and achieve a 30% national tree cover by the year 2032. Speaking during a tree planting exercise in South Kinangop, Kwa Horio forest, within the Aberdare ranges, Francis Kariuki, the Deputy Conservator of Forests in charge of conservancy coordination, praised the Community's Forest Association (CFA) for their efforts that had surpassed the area target of planting over 30% trees.
Kariuki noted that Nyandarua plays an important role in the conservation of forests with a tree cover of 26 percent for forests and 25 percent for homes and private farms, with a target of 30 percent. He expressed optimism that Nyandarua CFAs will hit the required target in the next two years.
Kariuki stated that KFS is committed to working with the community living around forests to ensure the roads are maintained and in good condition. This effort will be enabled through the KFS road unit stationed in Nyeri and community partnerships. The roads are crucial for the community as they use them to transport their produce from their forest farms while engaging in participatory forest management plans and the Adopt-a-Forest initiatives.
He further encouraged the CFAs to explore opportunities within their forest, with ecotourism identified as another activity in the Aberdare region forests, which attracts over 10,000 hiking tourists annually. This can be actualised through writing a proposal to KFS, and once approved, a special use licence is issued to maximise the outputs from a forest, thus providing local youths with tour guiding jobs and generating revenue.
'Illegal activities are minimal in this area thanks to the responsible community around the forests. We as forest managers have an easier time working with responsible communities around the forest,' said Kariuki.
Regional Forest Conservator for Central Highlands, George Abuto, commended the community for their support, which has ensured they plant many trees in coordination with CFAs.
The chairman of South Kinangop community forest association, James Karanja, stated that they conserve the forests not because they are told but because they care about the green future. He also lobbied for the youths involved in the CFAs to be given priority when the recruitment of forest rangers is announced.
Kwa Horio forest CFA was formed in 2016 with 1500 active members. Each member benefits through grazing, firewood, water abstraction, herbs, fishing, and ecotourism. The ecosystem directly feeds the Lake Naivasha basin, ensuring it does not dry up.