Restoration year for the country’s flora and fauna

Flora and fauna found within Kamweti forest of Mt Kenya with one of its big rivers whose source is right from the mountain whose scenery tourists enjoy. [File, Standard]

Kenya led the continent in charting a way forward to tackle climate change.

Kenya is already feeling adverse impacts of climate change, situations that have been characterised by intense drought and flooding, leading to famine, displacements, diseases and extinction of species in several parts of the country.

In 2020, several iconic species including the Bateleur, Martial Eagle, and Secretary bird were placed into a higher threat level of ‘endangered’, increasing the number of threatened bird species in Kenya under the endangered category from 17 to the current 20 species.

 “Already pressure is mounting within the Key Biodiversity areas and several species are increasingly threatened. In Kenya, seven mammals, six bird species, two reptiles, seven fish species, two tree species have been classified by the International Union of Conservation and Nature as Critically Endangered, meaning they face the highest risk of extinction,” Paul Gacheru, a species expert at Nature Kenya said.

Among the species on the verge of extinction in the country include; black rhino, Grevy zebra, Lesser Kudu, Hirola and Tana River mangabey. The cactus-like Euphorbia tanaensis found in Lamu are also among the rarest trees in the world.

Counts from the country’s first national survey also indicated that sable antelope and roan antelope are among those nationally categorized as ‘critically endangered.

While floods mostly characterised the year 2020, displacing thousands, whom some of them are still living in makeshift tents to date, 2021 presented mixed misfortunes of both floods and severe droughts. The situation increased records of human-wildlife conflicts. Conservationists say the droughts also had an impact on restoration initiatives across the country while increasing vulnerability in wildlife conservation.

In November this year, President Uhuru Kenyatta told the world leaders in Glasgow during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) that climate change was escalating and complicating new and old conflicts throughout the world.

“Increase in financial support should be strengthened. We expect the Paris agreement to be finalized and it should be inclusive to accommodate the needs and priorities for developing countries,” President Uhuru said.

Uhuru observed that while hopes of developing nations adapting to climate change remain low, with pledges made during the Paris climate talks remaining unfulfilled, he urged countries to end carbon emissions while calling for an increase in climate financing.

Climate Financing will enhance the restoration of Africa's carbon sinks including forests. It will also ensure that Governments and host communities reap maximum benefits from climate change mitigation interventions.

To boost conservation efforts and reduce human-wildlife conflicts, Rhino Ark, a conservation organization

“Last year, we did not hold the annual Rhino Charge, a fundraising event for Rhino Ark to conduct its conservation activities. I am delighted that the event went so well. It has greatly helped us regain momentum after we had to cancel the 2020 Rhino Charge. I know this has rekindled interest in our important work and will encourage people's participation in the next Charge,” Rhino Ark CEO Christian Lambrects said.

This year’s event raised KES 140,537,908 which the organization said catered for electric fence construction in Mt Kenya and maintenance of electric fence in Aberdare, Eburu and part of Mau forest.

And while fences remain critical in reducing human-wildlife conflicts in volatile areas restoration initiatives also took center stage in ecosystems like Tana Delta, Kenya’s largest delta and the Yala swamp, the country’s largest freshwater wetland.

“Restoration is not only limited to planting trees, it also involves planting grass and easing pressure on degraded areas to regenerate. It requires different approaches including partnerships to pool resources,” Nature Kenya director Paul Matiku said.

Restoration approach in Mt Kenya, he said is a business approach that brings on board private partners whose businesses majorly depend on resources from Mt Kenya. Currently, Coca-Cola and Kenya Breweries Limited are among the companies that engaged in restoration.

“Over 7 million people are dependent on resources in Mt Kenya yet the water is in a continuous decline. This not only affects those around Mt Kenya but also those downstream. Under the business model approach, business entities dependent on resources pool up efforts to be part of the restoration journey,” he said.

In the Tana delta, the restoration tactic incorporated aided regeneration where highly degraded areas are mapped. Such areas might include over-grazed lands.

“In such areas, aided regeneration in critical where the grass is planted. In such areas, the grass is key because it holds soil together while also providing fodder for livestock. It is also a source of income for those farming grass to be sold during the dry season,” Matiku added.

As part of the restoration, 116,000 hectares in the Tana Delta has been identified for a community conservancy where it will act as both grazing areas as well as an area for biodiversity conservation.

Although depressed rains are blamed for stalling restoration initiatives this year, local conservationists and community forest associations collected seeds targeted for restoration in Mt Kenya and Tana Delta.  The indigenous tree seedlings collected from different areas is part of an approach where the community engages in dispersing the seeds manually in degraded areas whenever weather is favorable.

As part of efforts to promote tourism and increase awareness in conservation this year, the Kenya Tourism Board and Kenya Airways (KQ) partnered to promote Kenya as a must-visit tourism destination.

The partnership involved branding two KQ aircrafts, a Dreamliner and an Embraer. The Dreamliner features two northern white rhinos- Najin and Fatu on one side, and the famous elephant Tim, who lived for over five decades at the Amboseli National Park, on the other side. The Embraer features the "man-eaters" lions from the Tsavo.

 “Happy to know that everywhere the aircraft touches down with the livery of the two remnants, Najin and Fatu, it will trigger curiosity that will lead to an affirmation that no species should be labelled the last of its kind,” said James Mwenda, Global Ambassador for Ol Pejeta Conservancy.