Author: John Mwacharo

By David Odhiambo 

Through the Jaza Miti presidential campaign, Kenya plans to plant more than 15 billion trees by 2032. The initiative encourages citizens to actively participate in tree growing to meet the 15 billion trees target. This ambitious bid is also an effort to restore Kenya’s degraded forests and increase tree cover from 8.83 per cent to above 10 per cent by 2032 to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Following the declaration of 13th November 2023 as a National Tree Planting Day, President William Ruto was at the Kiu catchment area in Makindu, Makueni County, where the Chyulu Site Support Group and other organizations hosted the national tree growing event. More than 100,000 tree seedlings of different species were planted.

Community members from 26 Site Support Groups (SSGs) for the the following Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) collaborated with relevant County Governments and national government agencies to plant over 155,344 trees to mark the day: Mutitu Hill forest, Lake Elmenteita, South Nandi Forest, Mida Creek, Dunga Swamp, Tana River Delta, North Nandi Forest, Ruma National Park, Sabaki River Estuary, Kakamega Forest, Lake Ol’ Bolossat, Lake Bogoria, Dakatcha Woodland, Mukurwe-ini valley, Kikuyu Escarpment, Kinangop Plateau, Busia grasslands, Mumoni Hill forest, Mt. Kenya Forest, Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Yala Swamp and Taita Hills forests.

While celebrating the achievement of the National Tree Planting Day, we need to remember that protecting existing forests is the most important for biodiversity, the climate and our future.

By Gilbay Obunga

Communities in rural areas mostly rely on natural resources for their daily needs. Over-reliance on natural resources such as wood for fuel has led to the destruction of habitats such as forests. Women, who often have to spend much of their time and energy looking for firewood and water, are the most affected by forest degradation. As such, their direct interaction with forests for firewood, fodder and other products has offered them the necessary knowledge and skills to wisely utilize these resources to meet their basic needs.

In Taita Hills, women have organized themselves into groups to conserve and manage the relic Taita Hills cloud forests. One such group is the Iyale Angamiza Jangwa Seedling Group. This group was founded in 2009 to mobilize women to support the conservation and management of Iyale, Wesu, and Mbili forest fragments. Currently, the group has 16 members engaged in growing indigenous trees, among other activities.

“We started restoring forests because our indigenous trees were disappearing after being replaced by exotic ones, which affected our water supply. This is why we came together as women and started planting indigenous trees that are our heritage and make our environment better,” says Honorina Wache, the group’s secretary.

Through support from the Darwin Initiative, the group has restored 16.1 ha by planting 20,068 assorted indigenous tree species (sourced from their tree nursery) in the degraded and fire-damaged areas of the Iyale forest. To ensure high survival rates of the planted seedlings, the group undertakes spot weeding and replanting at restoration sites.

“By conserving forests in Taita we are also conserving our threatened birds like the Taita Apalis and Taita Thrush,” she adds. The Taita Apalis and Taita Thrush are only found in Taita Hills forests.

The group is also promoting beekeeping to empower its members to support nature conservation. On this front, the group has received 60 Langstroth beehives and bee suits purchased by Nature Kenya with funding from the Darwin Initiative and People Partner with Nature projects. The hives have been distributed to members across the Taita landscape.

“When we conserve our forests, we get clean air, good rains, pasture and bees also get food. Bees give us honey and other products,” says Honorina.

Members of the group have received training in apiculture and value addition to make the most out of beekeeping. In addition to producing honey, the group makes a beeswax-based body cream called Kilambo Soft. Kilambo is a Taita word meaning ‘something’. This locally-produced body cream softens and moisturizes skin and is also used to treat athlete’s foot and skin rashes. Honorina attended the 2023 Nairobi International Trade Fair, where she marketed Kilambo Soft and other wax products from Taita Hills. Her appearance at the trade fair helped to open up new markets for the body cream that was an attraction at the Nature Kenya stand.

By Joshua Sese

Mumoni Hill Forest Reserve Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), is a species-rich dryland hilltop ecosystem emerging as an inselberg from arid scrubland vegetation on plains 600m -1800m above sea level. It is located in Mumoni subcounty of the vast Kitui County. The KBA is characterized by scrublands and wooded bushland on the lowlands and an upland dry forest ecosystem dominated by Drypetes, Combretum, Vepris and Croton species on the hilltop. Perennial springs that sustain human and animal water needs occur there. The forest reserve is surrounded by a constantly growing human population that practices small-scale agriculture.

Mumoni KBA is well endowed with biodiversity. It is home to Hinde’s Babbler (Turdoides hindei), a Kenyan endemic bird species listed in the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable (VU), the endangered (EN) Martial and Crowned eagles, and Afro and Palearctic migratory birds. It hosts a large plant diversity of more than 350 species, including dryland endemics restricted to the East African floral region, 24 mammal species, and 17 species of reptiles and amphibians. The pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri), listed in Appendix II of CITES, and the Taita toad (Bufo taitanus), previously only known to occur in Taita Hills, have also been recorded in the KBA.

However, the KBA faces threats which include encroachment, illegal harvesting of timber and firewood, charcoal burning, over-harvesting of medicinal plants such as Warburgia ugandensis and Pittosporum viridiflorum, overgrazing, and poor agricultural activities like slash and burn which often causes forest fires.

Mumoni Site Support Group (SSG) is a local community group at the forefront of conserving, protecting and restoring biodiversity in the Mumoni Hill Forest Reserve KBA. The group was officially registered in 2016 with the aim of promoting environmental conservation at the KBA. It participates in activities such as beekeeping, tree seedling production and planting, and awareness creation through market and school outreaches and chief’s barazas to sensitize and educate the public on environmental conservation. The SSG also undertakes biodiversity monitoring and actively participates in international days such as World Desertification and Drought Day, among others.