Ngaya Forest was referred to as the elephant maternity since the jumbos would go there to deliver their young. This is, however, no more with about 500 hectares of the 4,019 hectares destroyed by human settlement. This has led to blossoming of the invasive lantana camara weed which chokes other plants when it grows on grounds cleared of trees. The forest is also source to rivers that flow to Meru National Park and home to a rich ecosystem comprising of different plant and animal species. Locals also depend on the forest for traditional medicine.