Kenya Forest Service launches strategic management plan to restore Mau Conservancy

A section of the Mau Forest destroyed through logging. The Kenya Forest Service has launched a strategic management plan to restore the largest water largest catchment area in Kenya. FILE PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The parties involved include the government, the KFS and community forest associations (CFAs).
  • Mr Mugo said the KFS failed to beat the June deadline to implement the new forest regulations due to a number of setbacks.
  • He called on the CFA members to conserve with purpose in order to benefit from the natural resource.
  • Mr Rop said the county government had complied with the plan and was focusing on its implementation.

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has launched a strategic management plan for the Mau Conservancy.

The plan spells out separate duties for the various parties involved in reclaiming the Mau Forest.

The parties involved include the government, the KFS and community forest associations (CFAs).

The signing of the agreements was foreseen by KFS Director Emilio Mugo and Nakuru County Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Richard Rop.

The agreement is meant to ensure success in restoring the largest catchment area in Kenya while at the same time avoiding a duplication of duties.

Mr Mugo said the KFS failed to beat the June deadline to implement the new forest regulations due to a number of setbacks brought by disagreements between the forest service and CFAs.

“We failed to implement these plans due to a number of reasons, but we will ensure compliance within the remaining part of the year,” he said.

OVER 170,000 ACRES RECLAIMED

He pointed out that more than 170,000 acres of forest cover had been reclaimed in the 675,000-acre forest in partnership with the three counties sharing the forest.

Mr Mugo called on the CFA members to conserve with purpose in order to benefit from the natural resource.

He urged CFAs to specialise in particular areas to improve their effectiveness and reduce losses.

“You can specialise (either) in seedling production, timber manufacturing or distribution to harness your energy with minimal losses rather than playing all the roles,” said the director.

He called on them to form cooperatives and come up with branded products to reduce forest destruction and avoid exploitation by middlemen.

Mr Mugo urged resident to keep fewer but high-quality animals since grazing of large herds was depleting the forest.

For his part, Mr Rop said the county government had complied with the plan and was focusing on its implementation.

He said that with the growing population of Nakuru, there it is important to take care of the conservancy, which is the main source of water in the region.

“Members of the community need to realise that they get direct benefits from the forest as most of the water sources in Nakuru come from the conservancy,” said Mr Rop.