Last month, the African Wildlife Foundation led a tree-planting exercise in Kenya’s Mau Forest. The project, also involving the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Kenya Forest Service and other bodies, saw 25,000 trees planted at Mau in an effort to restore the forest in response to the progressive loss of trees caused through human activities.
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Kenya's forest are vitally important
to the wider environment. |
Mau, the largest mountain forest in East Africa, is of huge ecological significance to east Africa. As well as being a rich ecosystem in its own right, the forest is a crucial water catchment area. It is the source of several rivers, including the Mara, and also feeds three lakes, Victoria, Natron and Nakuru. These water courses are a vital lifeline for local communities and for a multitude of wildlife. They also play an important role in supporting the region’s tourist industry, with Lake Nakuru and its famous flamingos, for example, attracting huge numbers of visitors.
The persistent decline in Mau Forest’s extent has been caused by some local groups engaging in forest-clearing – a trend which has put into jeopardy the ecosystem’s capacity to provide water for the region. As the number of trees falls, there is less rainfall locally, and the crucial delivery of water downstream diminishes. Deforestation in Mau has already been implicated by some as a contributing factor in recent droughts.
Last month’s tree-planting signals a growing awareness in Kenya of the importance of protecting the country’s forests, not just for their inherent value and for the biodiversity they harbour, but also for their indirect significance to the wider environment. With the Kenyan government recently acknowledging their commitment to addressing the degradation of forested areas and the continuing efforts by environmental groups, it may be hoped that Kenya’s forests will get the protection they deserve.
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