Environmental stakeholders in Kilifi have urged the local communities to embrace the culture of tree planting to increase the county’s forest cover.
They said although the county had already achieved the forest cover of 23.8 per cent, tree cutting for charcoal burning and other uses was rampant in most parts of the areas, a practice that needed to be tamed to ensure the county meets the target of 30 per cent by the year 2030.
Stakeholders, who included officials from the Coast Development Authority, the Kenya Forest Service, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the National Administration urged farmers to ensure that tree occupied at least 10 per cent of their farms.
They were speaking at the Chakama Small Holder Irrigation Project, a project being implemented by the Coast Development Authority (CDA) in Malindi Sub County, where they led residents in planting 3,000 tree seedlings.
CDA Chairman Philip Charo asked residents to always plant trees in their farms and take care of them in order to increase the forest cover. He urged the residents to stop the habit of cutting trees without replacing them.
He assured President William Ruto that the Coast Development Authority would continue working with communities to plant trees in line with the Head of State’s call to increase the country’s forest cover.
The state corporation’s Managing Director, Dr. Mohamed Keinan, said CDA was implementing catchment conservation in the Mwache area of Kwale County, where about 200,000 tree seedlings have so far been planted.
“Here in Chakama, we have planted over one million seedlings since we started this catchment conservation and we are still adding the vegetation so that we can have as much forest cover as possible,” he said.
Malindi Deputy County Commissioner Thuo wa Ngugi, who represented Coast Regional Commissioner John Elungata, said National Administrative Officers (NGAOs) would spearhead the tree planting programme at the grassroots.
He stressed the importance of taking care of the trees, saying trees were an economic resource that could help the residents educate their children.
“Here, we are known for cutting trees without replacing them but I am happy that the president’s call to increase the country’s forest cover has been embraced by wananchi and we believe we shall reach the 30 percent forest cover by 2030,” he said.
The Coast Regional Ecosystems Conservator, Ms Nafasi Mufahaya, urged Kenyans to plant trees during the festive season, noting that tree seedlings were available in all forest offices in the country.
Kilifi County Ecosystems Conservator Elvis Fondo said the county had reached a forest cover of 23.8 per cent, adding that he was confident the targeted 30 per cent would be achieved by 2030.
“The area covered by forests in the county stand at about 23.8 per cent of the total land mass although there are new statistics which will be announced after being verified by the Geographical Information System (GIS) which put the forest cover at 26 per cent.
