The importance of forests in alleviating poverty and protecting the environment is increasingly being recognized, yet deforestation and forest degradation in Kenya are continuing at an alarming rate.
At the turn of the 20th century Kenya had forest cover of 30%. Today it has been reduced to a meagre 1.7% due to deforestation, commercial agriculture, charcoal burning, forest cultivation and replacement of indigenous forest with exotic plantations.
The aim of this project is to rehabilitate degraded indigenous forests through planting of indigenous trees, enrichment tree planting, soil conservation and preventing further degradation.Community groups will be facilitated to raise and plant native tree species for planting in Mt. Kenya Forest. They will be assisted to establish tree nurseries, produce tree seedlings, plant and nurture them to ensure survival.
The implementing NGO (Green Belt Movement) has got the needed network on the ground to ensure the realization of this project.