Nature can't wait: Regional leaders urge rapid eco-system restoration

Evironment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale (4th left) flanked by Indian High Commissioner to Kenya Namgya Khampa and other stakeholders inspect the status of River Kibarage after a tree planting exercise on August 15, 2024. [Elvis Ogina ,Standard]

Regional leaders and experts have called on countries to accelerate efforts to restore degraded ecosystems, emphasising that restoration commitments must be matched by robust monitoring, reporting, and data-driven action.

The appeal came during a sub-regional workshop on Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting in relation to Target 2 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), held in Nairobi from January 27 to 30, 2026.

The workshop was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr Deborah Barasa, underscored the importance of translating restoration commitments into tangible, measurable outcomes. “Ecosystem restoration is central to addressing biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainable development,” Dr Barasa said. “But progress cannot be demonstrated without credible monitoring and reporting systems. Restoration is about giving nature a chance to recover while protecting livelihoods, securing water, supporting food production, and building resilience to climate change. But restoring ecosystems is not enough.”

She added: “We also need to be able to explain what we are doing, show what is working, and learn from what is not. The next few years will determine whether restoration commitments become reality or remain promises on paper.”

Dr Barasa highlighted that since the adoption of Kenya’s National Environment Policy in 2013, the country’s environmental governance landscape has changed significantly. “We now operate under a more assertive constitutional framework, strengthened environmental jurisprudence, and an expanded set of national and international commitments,” she said.

Festus Ng’eno, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Environment and Climate Change, said the ongoing review of the policy is timely and firmly anchored in Kenya Vision 2030, which envisions a “clean, secure and sustainable environment”. “This review offers an opportunity to align our national environmental governance framework with MTP IV priorities, Vision 2030, the Constitution of Kenya (2010), and international commitments under the Paris Agreement, the KMGBF, and the SDGs, while prioritising the transition to a Green Economy,” Ng’eno said.

The review will focus on green job creation, ecosystem restoration, disaster risk reduction, mainstreaming environmental education, and strengthening climate resilience at all levels.

Patrick Mucheleka, Chairperson of RCMRD Governing Council and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources of Zambia, highlighted the value of sub-regional cooperation in delivering global biodiversity commitments.

“Across our region, we face similar challenges: land under pressure, stressed ecosystems, and communities that depend directly on nature for their livelihoods. We also share the same responsibility: to turn our restoration commitments into real action,” he said.