The critical role played by trees in regulating climate patterns

The continued depletion of the country's forests has resulted in water insecurity. This is not a new phenomenon as the degradation of Kenyan forests has been experienced before.

According to available reports, between the years 2000 and 2010, the country lost 50,000 hectares of its water towers, translating to a depletion rate of about 5,000 hectares per year.

This loss further translates to a reduction in water availability of approximately 62 million cubic metres per year and a yearly loss of over $19 million.

High rate of deforestation

A 2018 task force appointed to look into the Forest Resources Management and Logging Activities in the country warned of the high rate of deforestation in the country.

The report revealed a massive encroachment and destruction of state and community forests, a state that has rendered some of the forests non-existent.

The report titled 'Forest resources management and logging activities in Kenya' cited forests including Kitalale, Manzoni and Matuma. Blocks of Turbo forests are entirely settled upon while they remain as gazetted forests.

Olpusimoru forest reserve totalled over 20,000 hectares but has since been sub-divided, settled upon and tittles issued to owners while Enoosopukia forest has lost 98 per cent of its original forest cover of 7,941 hectares in the 1980s to 183 hectares.

Reduced by 40%

Marmanet forest which was initially 30,488 hectares in 1990 has reduced by over 40 per cent of its forest cover by 2010. Kitalale forest occupied 1,860 hectares while Manzoni and Mautuma blocks of Turbo forest occupied 2,862 hectares.

The report further revealed that Mau forest complex is hardest hit by forest excisions, illegal settlements and intense illegal abstraction of forest resources.

"The Mau Forests Complex has been particularly hard hit by forest excisions, illegal settlements, and intense illegal abstraction of forest resources," the report said.

Particularly, in 2001, forest excision within Mau forest alone amounted to 61,587 hectares, affecting in particular Eastern Mau Forest Reserve, South Western Mau Forest Reserve, and Molo Forest Reserve.

At least 2,436 hectares within the Mau forest Complex has been illegally allocated to public utilities, such as schools and police stations, as well as for private development like churches.

"The land allocated for these public utilities and private developments is still gazetted as a forest reserve," the report read.

Six-year ban

The outcome of the 2018 report led to the ban on logging in all public forests across the country. The ban would last for close to six years.

But even as the debate on lifting of logging continues, experts warn that logging should be exclusive to exotic plantations only and should not be allowed in indigenous forests.

"The government needs to maintain a strict ban with total enforcement on any logging in indigenous forests and trees.

Currently, there is no guarantee that indigenous trees and critical ecosystems like water towers, riparian areas and other catchment areas will be spared. It will be disastrous, watering down conservation gains made for the past 15 years," Nature Kenya director Paul Matiku said.

Tree seedlings in a nursery. [File, Standard]

He said to boost conservation efforts by communities, there was a need for the government to incentivize tree growing to enhance on-farm and private plantations in the country.

Matiku said while exotic plantations play a critical role, there was a need to zone areas for plantations and natural forests so that plantations cannot overtake the spaces meant for natural forests.

Rudolf Makhanu, a natural resources management specialist said plantation forests provide wood and cushion natural forest from degradation.

Climate regulation

Exotic forests' main role is to provide wood for the timber industry. Just like maize, he says, exotic trees are planted for harvesting but natural forests play a key role in climate regulation.

A prolonged ban on logging, he says can have an effect on the natural forests whose role is climate regulation.

"Forestry is driven by incentives and without them, the sector collapses. To meet the demand for timber, plantation forests are critical and only require regulation and sustainable management to strike this balance," Makhanu said.

"The fact that the country requires wood to run the rapidly growing construction industry means Kenya needs to have own stock of plantation. Prolonged ban might render the exotic plantations useless when they grow past the maturity life," he added.

To balance between incentives in the forest sector and conservation, he said there was need to put in place proper structures to allow regulation, managing and sustainable harvesting of forest products.

"Forest plantations are like maize farms where the farmer has a target at the end of a cycle. Maize is planted for harvesting just as plantation forests are meant to support the timber industry-but serious regulations need to be put in place to avoid encroachment into indigenous forests," he added.

Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko said degradation of forests has been experienced as a result of understaffing within the sector.

Currently, Kenya Forestry Service has 3,210 staff members, a number which he said has been straining to keep the forests across the country safe. However, the expected deployment of an additional 2,700 forest rangers will almost double the workforce in the coming months.

Human activities

Understaffing, according to Lemarkoko, has affected the security of critical water towers including Mau forest Complex, Mt Elgon, Cherangany, Mt Kenya among other cross-border forest areas.

"Destruction then happens because we do not have adequate rangers. It exposes our forest resources to activities emanating from human activities," Lemarkoko said in Nakuru.

He said the situation of inadequate personnel has been experienced across the 200 forest stations in the country where most have four rangers providing security for a section that should be covered by over 20 rangers.

Workforce challenges

In its plan to achieve the 15 billion tree target, Lemarkoko said part of the plan includes increasing the workforce within the service that has been riddled with a serious shortage of rangers.

"We have been having challenges in providing all-round security but we will have the capability of securing the forests and making sure whatever is planted is protected and whatever already exists, is also protected," he said.

The absorption of 2,700 rangers marks the highest recruitment exercise ever conducted by the KFS, as previous recruitments are often capped at 400.

Kenya Forest Service Commandant David Chege said there was need to take caution in boosting the security of the forests so as to avert cases of illegal activities that would otherwise contribute to destruction.

"If we are not careful, the situation will be like a bucket that has holes. This team will ensure that does not happen and this will be a game changer. The new rangers will double personnel responsible for forest protection," Chege said.