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Kenya: Regional Wildlife Society, EAWS, Urges Sustained Reforestation to Preserve Water Towers

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Kijabe — Government and corporates have been challenged to boost initiatives towards increasing the forest cover in the country.

Noting the importance of forest in supporting livelihoods, The East African Wildlife Society (EAWS) said more resources should be channeled towards seedlings production as a commitment to increasing forest cover by 10 per cent as earlier planned.

“I call upon corporates, counties and government agencies to join hands in improving the seedlings production, it will aid the country move faster towards attaining the 10 per cent forest cover,” said Nancy Ogonje, Executive Director, The East African Wild Life Society.

Ogonje spoke on Saturday on the sidelines of this year’s Forest Challenge competition held at Kereita Forest in Kijabe, Kiambu County.

Kenya’s forest cover is estimated at 7.2 per cent of the country’s territory, which is below the recommended global minimum of 10 per cent.

Out of this, Kenya’s closed-canopy forests, which are mainly montane woodlands (water towers), cover only two per cent, compared to the African average of 9.3 per cent and a world average of 21.4 per cent.

Kenya loses approximately 5,000 hectares of forest annually, a loss that can cause an annual reduction of available water. The country is already listed as a water-scarce country by the United Nations.

Forest loss is largely attributed to deforestation, which is defined by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as the conversion of forest to other land uses.

Forest loss does not only contribute to a reduction of biodiversity and loss of rural livelihoods. It also exacerbates the impact of climate change on ecosystems.