Kenya Forests Working Group

By Gideon Bett

Close to 10 million people, three million of them pastoralists, are at risk of starvation in the Horn and East African Region due to adverse effects of climate change in the region, according to U.N. and other agencies.

Drought is threatening lives and livelihoods of pastoralists, they said. This is due to combination of factors including environmental degradation, resource-based conflicts, changing land tenures, poor governance and restrictive cross-border policies.

At the launch of the Security in Mobility (SIM) initiative at a Nairobi Hotel, the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, said the SIM approach for intervention calls for urgent action by governments to assist pastoralists mitigate the effects and save livelihoods.

A report on an 18-month SIM consultative assessment says that climate change has resulted in unpredictable and extreme weather patterns and influences movement patterns of pastoralist communities. There are increased levels of migration as pastoralists search for scarce pasture and water, often resulting in conflicts over scarce resources.

Jeanine Cooper of United Nations office of the Co-ordination of Humanitarian affairs (UNOCHA) points out that pastoralists are facing numerous challenges with rains failing to come when expected, lands parched and unable to support livelihoods, neighbours in conflicts over scarce resources, populations displaced through loss of livelihoods from drought, and policies that undermine their capacity to manage climate change.

“These pastoralists’ voices are also clear that natural hazards by themselves do not cause disasters; it is the combination of factors – climate change, inappropriate policies and lack of basic services and infrastructure – that turns droughts and other climatic hazards into major emergencies,” said Cooper

SIM asked regional governments to come up with systematic approach to address security of pastoralist communities as they move across borders in search for water and pasture. A call was also made to forge partnerships so as respond to challenges faced by pastoralists.

SIM is an initiative of United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International Organization for Migration and the Institute for Security Studies. Its objectives are to advocate for regional cross-border security needs to be reconciled with pastoralists’ livelihood needs for access to water and pasture, support regional governments to develop a regional normative framework on migration and mobility for pastoralists to enhance cross-border security and to facilitate pastoralists’ mobility as a climate change adaptation.

By Naftal Nyabuto

To mark World Environment Day on June 5, Kenya Forests Working Group (KFWG), with other organisations, joined residents of a Nairobi slum in cleaning up their neighbourhood.

KFWG, with partner organisations Queens Health Outreach and Youth Empowerment Strategic Scheme, pitched camp at Kayole and participated in various activities to mark the day with the theme “Many Species. One Planet.”

Participants were reminded of the need to give back to nature by keeping the environment clean. With this, the enthusiasm to clean their “hood” among the residents went a notch higher and promptly embarked on the exercise.

Cleaning the environment was not the only event on the programme. Queens Health Outreach (QHO), a Canadian-based organisation, provided Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) of HIV/AIDS, an exercise that attracted many who had never had the opportunity to get such a service.

Tree planting stole the show as over 100 trees were planted, thanks to the generous contribution of donors and partner organisations. Special mention goes to Green Africa Foundation for their contribution to make the event more successful.

As we celebrated the environment day, and indeed recognising this year as the year of biodiversity, what is your personal strategy to making the earth a better place?

By Jackson Bambo

A recent KFWG and media tour of Mt. Elgon, Cherangani Hills and Shamanek Forests in mid-June revealed that a presidential ban on logging of indigenous trees has largely been ignored.

There is also illegal grazing, charcoal burning and encroachment into forest land for farming attributed to lack of clear-cut forest boundaries. Many people have settled in critical watershed areas, therefore posing a threat to their livelihoods.  In some areas, they have witnessed landslides in recent months as a result of deforestation in steep areas.

The June 10-15 mission findings revealed extensive indigenous forest destruction of endangered tree species such as Podo, Prunus aficana, Cedar and Elgon Teak. The investigation further revealed that majority of community members still perceive the forests as government property and lack a sense of ownership. Increased poverty and settlement on land adjacent to the forests has increasing pressure on the forests.

Marking of forest boundaries, KFWG states, is among the most effective options in stemming encroachment into forest land. The lack of these markings has significantly contributed to human and agricultural encroachment inside forest lands. It is the clear demarcation of national parks that has enabled the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to largely contain encroachment into national parks. The same can be done for forests to ensure that boundaries of all forests are clearly marked and respected.

Political will in co-managing forests with communities are prerequisites to ensure effective implementation of the Forests Act 2005.

Kenya Forests Working Group (KFWG) is searching for solutions that meet human needs for food, timber, medicine and income while protecting Kenya’s forests.

It is worth noting that as a result of this tour and subsequent coverage in the local media, the provincial administration has moved in to dialogue with the communities to encourage them to vacate the settled forests and further involve them in their management.

By David Kuria

The East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS), through the Tupande Pamoja Initiative, joined Baraget community in Mau Forest last month to launch a project on forest restoration and peace.

Under the theme Peace and Environment, the event sought to link conservation of the environment  with peace among local communities. The area was among many others that were heavily affected by Kenya's post-election violence in December 2007 and January 2008.

With support from the Community Development Trust Fund (CDTF) and Community Environment Facility (CEF), the colourful event brought more than 400 participants who included students from local schools, local leaders, the provincial administration, the District Peace Committee, youth leaders and many others

Most of the speakers emphasised the need for conservation of the forest and maintenance of peace among the residents of Kuresoi District. The leaders  regretted the impact of post election violence on the environment. They noted that the forests were highly exploited and destroyed as some residents took advantage of the chaos to cut trees.

The elderly people expressed their worry at the rate at which the forest cover is changing in recent times. They appealed for tolerance, good neighbourliness and understanding among the communities.

Baraget forest is one of the forests of the upper Mara catchment and is about 4,016 hectares. It is mostly covered by indigenous trees and partly by plantation. It has some areas that need to be planted with more trees. Just like many other forests in the country, it is a source of fuel wood and water for the local communities; and grazing area among many other uses.

The Community Forest Association (CFA) members vowed to work with the local leaders to maintain peace while participating in the conservation of the forest. They requested the Kenya Forest Service to allocate them sites for rehabilitation. More than 30 hectares are available for this exercise.

Tupande Pamoja is a joint initiative by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), EAWLS, Kenya Forests Working Group (KFWG) and Nature Kenya in collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) aimed at forging partnership between public/private corporations or institutions and local communities to rehabilitate Kenya’s forested water catchments.