Protecting forests in Kenya

In recent years the forests on the Nyiro Mountains, have witnessed massive deforestation which has resulted in environmental, social, and economic disasters for the indigenous communities that depend on it for survival. The unregulated use of the forest, timber harvesting, and charcoal burning have significantly put enormous pressure on the forests subsequently leading to land degradation. The recurrent drought coupled with climate change hazards have increased household vulnerability and with limited livelihood options, some families have resorted to cutting down trees for charcoal burning as a source of income. This has resulted in the destruction of the indigenous trees with cultural significance i.e., the medicinal herbs and the acacia resins.

In this project, the Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conﬂict Transformation (IMPACT) seeks to contribute to the protection of forests in Kenya by increasing the influence of indigenous people in forest management and making use of their traditional knowledge for conservation.

The project is supported with SEK 2 350 000.

What does the project deliver?

The project focus on indigenous people who live in the Nyiro Mountains and consists of two parts:

– Involve local people by establishing a Community Forrest Association for nature conservation.
– In the second part, traditional knowledge about conservation strategies is spread and implemented.

Why do we support this project?

Forest areas managed by indigenous people are some of the world’s most intact areas. Ensuring that indigenous people have continued inﬂuence over how these areas are managed is a large part of the puzzle on how to protect our climate, biodiversity and human rights.