Saving Kenya’s Forests

Category: Conservation | Date: Feb 05 2008 | By: admin

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has invited the public to submit comments on an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study Report for a project (Nairobi Water and Sewerage Emergency Physical Investment Project (NWSEPIP) Package 3) which will transverse the edge of Karura Forest and also go through Ngong Forest.

KFWG has seen the EIA, which is available at NEMA, Popo Road off Mombasa road, for anyone who wishes to have a look at it.

From the EIA, we have noted that the following:

The EIA report indicates that the project area includes among others indigenous trees like the “Muhugu”, Newtonia buchananii (mukoi), Trichilia roke (mutuati), Olea Africana, Croton dichogamus and Brachylaena hutchinsii in the two forests. For Karura Forest, the water and sewerage lines commences in Gigiri area and moves south westerly along the edges of Karura Forest through Kibagare to Kabete Reservoir in Loresho. For Ngong Road Forest, the report indicates that the line crosses the Nairobi – Kisumu railway line into Ngong Forest. The lines emerges and moves parallel to the Ngong Road but inside the forests across the proposed southern by-pass and the Nairobi – Eldoret oil pipeline. Still parallel to the Ngong Road, the lines terminates at Karen Township.

We have noted that clearance of forest vegetation along the water and sewerage line in both Karura and Ngong Road forests is stated as inevitable. Further vegetation clearance is also likely to occur from access routes to the line from the main road, construction of work area and stores. It is also important to note that the extent of any forest clearance and its impacts is not mentioned in the EIA report. Another concern is that key forest stakeholders including Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary Trust were not consulted according to the list provided in the report.

Considering the importance of Ngong Road and Karura forests, KFWG has made objections to the current layout proposal on the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Emergency Physical Investment Project (NWSEPIP) and has recommended that;

1. The physical layout of the water and sewerage line be re-evaluated to minimize/stop any forest vegetation clearing to the two forests.
2. The extent of any forest vegetation be outlined in the EIA report before any licenses is issued.
3. The views of key forest stakeholders including Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary, KFWG and others be sought and included in the EIA report before any license is issued.

Ngong road and Karura forests are the two most important indigenous remnant forests in the densely populated Nairobi City. These two forests are important catchment forest areas, offer recreation facilities to Nairobi residents and purify the polluted air from motor vehicles and industries around the city. These forests have been under a lot of pressure for private development in the recent past, which have successfully been resisted on the grounds of their importance. Clearance of any parts of these already threatened forests by any other means will only aggravate the situation.

2 responses so far

Category: Conservation | Date: Nov 27 2007 | By: admin

Phew. Am I glad to be posting something positive or what!

On 7 December 2007 View Finders Ltd will screen the award winning film the Queen of Trees, at the Oshwal Centre, Ring Road Westlands (opposite Nakumatt Ukay). Queen of Trees is the extraoridnary story about the African fig tree and the special relationship it has with a tiny insect partner - the fig wasp. The film is set against Africa and its wildlife. This extraordinary relationship is the basis for a complex web of dependency that supports animals from ants to elephants.

All proceeds will go to the East African Wild Life Society and Kenya Wildlife Service.

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Category: Community, Conservation | Date: Nov 21 2007 | By: admin

The Government of Spain through UNEP has provided financial support towards a project aimed at stopping further deforestation and promoting reforestation within and around the Maasai Mau forest.

The project named COMIFORM (Community based integrated forest resources conservation and management) will work with surrounding communities and Narok County Council, the Trustees of the forest.

The project’s activities will include community tree planting, fuel briquetting, timber production, beekeeping and goat rearing. The activities are meant to provide alternative source of livelihoods to reduce pressure on the forest. The project also aims to have a Carbon-project approved by a carbon fund, facilitate tourism development and to have a management plan for the forest in place.

It is being implemented by Kenya Forests Working Group, Green Belt Movement, Ewaso Nyiro South Development Authority, the Narok County Council, Kenya Forest Service and local Community Based Organizations.

One response so far

Category: Conservation | Date: Nov 14 2007 | By: admin

The announcement by David Mwiraria, Kenya’s Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, that the Shamba system is set to be re-introduced has re-ignited a long simmering controversy on whether the system is good or bad. The Shamba system, a method used to establish timber plantations through a form of agro-forestry in government managed forests, was banned in all forests in 2003 but is being practiced on a pilot basis in Bahati and Dundori forests in Nakuru. The pilots were meant to establish the viability of the system while tighter rules and regulations were being developed. This was one of many bans - it was banned in 1986, and reinstated in 1994.

On one hand of the debate are those who rightly contend that the system is responsible for serious loss of indigenous forest while failing to fulfill its purpose - that of raising plantations for timber. On the other hand are those who say that the failure was not of the system, but the people who were practicing it and those meant to keep it regulated.

The Shamba System was first introduced by the colonial administration to provide raw materials for the expanding timber industry and to reduce pressure on neighboring natural forests. Under the system, farmers grow both trees and food crops on small plots. They tend the trees and harvest crops until the trees become established. In theory everyone benefits, the Kenya Forests Service (formerly Forest Department) establishes plantations at minimal costs and farmers harvest food from the same land for a number of years.

The Shamba system is allowed under the Forests Act 2005 and is recognized as one way of raising plantations. The proponents of the system support the “use it or lose it” way of doing things where forests are concerned. They say that forests were lost because they were cut off from the people. One way of ensuring that people benefit from forests is to allow systems such as this, which benefit both the government and farmers.

On the other hand, evidence that the system took a heavy toll on forests cannot be ignored. As a result of corruption and mismanagement, the system did not establish plantations with many areas having planting backlogs. It instead contributed to the destruction of neighboring natural forests.

The Kenya Forest Service is preparing new regulations for the system. Whether this will help in ensuring that the system is only used to establish plantations away from natural forests will have to be seen. The controversy will certainly not go away.

Is the Shamba system good or bad? This seems like a case where a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will not do.

3 responses so far

Category: Conservation | Date: Nov 09 2007 | By: admin

Following up on the Maasai Mau post below, one of Kenya’s daily, the East African Standard reports that over 10,000 people evicted from the forest are moving back. The paper says, “President Kibaki during one of his campaign tours in the Rift Valley and, ostensibly after being ‘prevailed’ upon by local leaders, directed the Mau forest evictees be allowed to return”. The paper then rightly questions the commitment to conservation of this forest, in view of this latest development. Clearly the impact the return of this number of people will have on the forest will be extensive.

The government had promised to compensate holders of genuine title deeds that were affected by the evictions by finding them alternative land. A task force was even set up and the people affected registered. But nothing, as far as we know, has happened. We know that settlement of squatters was budgeted for by government this year - Kshs 1.3 billion for squatters and internally displaced persons - but we are not sure whether this included the Maasai Mau evictees.

Tomorrow, Saturday 10 November 2007, the Party of National Unity (PNU) - the platform through which the President is seeking re-election - will be launching its manifesto. It will be interesting to see what the party is promising to do as far as forests or natural resources are concerned.

We will keep you updated on the situation as well as other developments in the area including efforts to remedy this situation.

One response so far

Category: Conservation | Date: Nov 09 2007 | By: admin

It’s an election year in Kenya, and everywhere you look the elections are being discussed. It’s what we have been eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kenyans are somewhat obsessed with politics – but I hear this is a good thing; other Africans are said to envy the way Kenyans are able to and do participate in election debate.

But what’s that got to do with forests you ask? Well everything actually. First, in past decades forests were used as a tool to woo and reward voters; large areas of forests were lost in this way. Second, forests have not been seen as an important issue and deciding factor during elections and are routinely treated as “Any Other Business”. In a country that has less than 2 percent of its land under forests, whose economy is largely dependent on these same forests (the tourism, agriculture, water and energy sector draw heavily from services offered by forests) and which is steadily losing indigenous forests each year, you would think the situation would be different.

It is not.

Realizing that this trend will continue and needing to take advantage of the election year, civil society organizations and individuals have come together under the Kenya Forests Working Group to run a campaign that will give prominence to forest issues in political circles. The Misitu Pia! Campaign is aimed at promoting awareness of and commitment to critical forest issues in the run-up to the general elections and beyond. The campaign is targeted at key political parties (eleven parties, Kenya has over 300 parties) who are being asked to include six key forest issues in their manifestos. Lately the campaign has focused on the three parties – ODM, ODM-Kenya and Party of National Unity which brings together the other key parties.

The six forest issues being addressed are support for the forest policy and legislation, political will and transparency in running of the newly created Kenya Forest Service (KFS) that takes care of all forests, funding for KFS to carry out its mandate, demarcation of forest boundaries, addressing settlements in forests and action for increased forest cover.

The campaign is receiving positive reaction, with ODM-Kenya already taking the issues into account. We hope to see the same from ODM and PNU.

Oh, one more thing. My name is Liz and I will be blogging alongside Michael. I look forward to your comments. Thank you Dipesh and F.J. Pechir for your comments.

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Category: Conservation | Date: Oct 11 2007 | By: admin

Dear fellow tree lovers, welcome to Kenya’s Forests. My name is Michael Gachanja, I’m the coordinator of the Kenya Forests Working Group and I’ll be telling you all about our activities.

Forests are crucial to our country and its people’s well being. All sectors of our economy – water, agriculture, tourism, power and industry – depend on healthy forests. Sadly, we have been extremely irresponsible in Kenya and reduced our forest cover to a critical 1.7% of the total land area. The country is in serious trouble!

I believe that the future of Kenya’s forests lies in all our hands, and we must protect and conserve forests for the benefit of all Kenyans, living and unborn.

As coordinator of the Kenya Forest Working Group I manage the various interest groups of individuals and organizations (government and non-government, local, national and international) concerned with forests, their conservation and management. We formed the KFWG in 1995 to provide a forum for exchanging and sharing information and experiences among members. It exists as a sub-committee of the East African Wild Life Society.

Our main activities include advocacy - forest advocacy actually, dealing with forest policy issues, raising awareness, forests monitoring, information gathering and dissemination, and community based action.

We manage a Forest Hotline where criminal acts against our national forests can be reported

The Kenya Forests Working Group’s FOREST HOTLINE…

Tel: 254-20-3871335 Safaricom 0726 816000 Celtel 0736 600700

Call the HOTLINE to report DESTRUCTION, PROBLEMS, or UPDATES regarding any forest in KENYA.

You can use the HOTLINE to find out about forests and the work of KFWG.

before I go remember - go plant a tree today!

5 responses so far