Implementation | PANORAMA

Community sensitization on environmental issues

Local Community Awareness Forums

NACOFA

Local community awareness forums

NACOFA

This building block focuses on engaging directly with local communities through face-to-face interactions and site visits to every forest block. We worked closely with the community to discuss the impact of forest degradation on agriculture, livelihoods, and the natural environment. On-the-ground visits ensured a deep understanding of the issues and secured community buy-in for the program. These efforts were carried out in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), which played a key role in validating and supporting the initiative.

The presence of KFS added significant value to the efforts, especially with the introduction of new forestry laws. It reassured the community that they could co-manage their lands, improving their livelihoods. KFS’s involvement provided a sense of ownership and legitimacy, motivating community participation.
Communicating in the local native language facilitated quicker access to information, better understanding, and more effective implementation of initiatives by the community.
Tailoring direct communication to meet the specific needs of the local community was vital for successful community sensitization and engagement.

Sensitization is an ongoing process. Regular meetings and continuous communication are essential to maintaining open dialogue with local actors. Since policies and legislation are constantly evolving, it’s important to engage and update the community frequently.
Linking partners such as government entities, communities, and CSOs to address local issues increases the success of the programs.
The transition from national to county-level management of land and restoration efforts can present challenges, particularly in resource management. The complexity of working across different levels of government can impact resource management and program implementation.
This building block provides an opportunity to empower communities to take ownership of their land and address environmental issues directly, fostering a sense of responsibility and stewardship.

Partnerships: indigenous people and local communities engagement

Some indigenous people engaged in the solution implementation

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Collaboration with indigenous people and local communities (IP&LC) and organizations is essential. Through community engagement we are able to mobilise IP&LC in helping to protect the forests and restoration sites and support our efforts. By working together, everyone can contribute to the conservation goals and increase success.

Mutual trust and communication are essential to build strong relationships with IP&LC and organizations for successful restoration actions. IP&LC can include farmers and wildlife wardensm organizations can include forest offices. To build and maintain strong relationships, we have learned that impactful engagement with IP&LC requires developing shared objectives to keep everyone focused and motivated toward common conservation goals.

We faced challenges when trying to engage IP&LC without first understanding their needs and perspectives. Take time to listen and involve them in the process from the beginning to foster better cooperation. Engage with IP&LC through consultations and identification of species that are important for them and can help improveing success.

Identify and prepare suitable planting microsites, especially protected sites with suitable conditions that can support the species growth

Soil sampling

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Soil sampling

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

The purpose is to find the best locations for planting the seedlings. We look for microsites with suitable biotic and abiotic conditions that will help the plants thrive. Identifying suitable microsites involves performing soil physical and chemical analysis. Preparing these microsites involves clearing weeds and making sure the soil is ready for new plants.

The soil quality and accessibility are important as soil nutrient and permeability state are vital for seedling survival and growth. The microsites should be easily accessible to ensure maintenance activities and monitoring.

Identifying suitable microsites can take time and requires thorough soil analysis. We discovered that not all nutrient-rich areas are easily accessible, so having backup microsites is helpful. Additionally, clearing the microsites effectively is vital to ensure no competing plants hinder seedling growth.

Seed collection, germination, and seedling production

Samara fruits of Mansonia altissima

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Fruits of Mansonia altissima

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Seedlings of Mansonia altissima

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Making materials avilable to initiatite the restoration and conservation process for the plantation of seedlings. The purpose is to ensure that we have enough young plants for the species introduction into the identified protected forest ecosystems. We collected seeds from the existing population of the target species and sowed them in polyethylene bags filled with forest soil at the forest nursery. This block also focuses on providing the right care and environment for young seedlings to grow strong. It includes watering, protection from pests, and ensuring they get enough sunlight. Healthy seedlings are more likely to survive when planted. We raised the prouted seedlings for six months in field conditions before planting them.

As conditions important for successful seedling production, conservationists need high-quality and healthy seeds, a nursery with poor light-penetrated shading, a permanent water source, containers, and a medium. Establishing a reliable schedule for watering, fertilizing, and monitoring light conditions helps seedlings to grow faster. Regular checks for pests and diseases are necessary to protect seedlings and ensure healthy growth of plants.

Mass production of seedlings for restoration and conservation requires many financial resources and human capital for nursery care. However, this is a way to secure the establishment of planted trees in forest ecosystems. We also learned that seeds of different species may require tailored germination techniques. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to grow seedlings of all species. It is crucial to understand the specific needs of each seed type before starting.

Development of Community Governance Structures for Sustainable Land Management

Local community awareness forums

NACOFA

This building block focuses on developing and formalizing community governance structures to support sustainable land management. By leveraging networks, we connect various ecosystem management systems across Kenya to align resource management with livelihoods and conservation efforts.

We prioritize understanding the leadership within community groups and work directly with these leaders to engage the broader community. When requested by the community, we help formalize these existing structures to ensure our programs align with the established power dynamics and effectively address community needs.

Restoration agreements serve to formalize relationships with communities, acting as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to align expectations and build trust among community members.
Government involvement is essential, requiring a direct line of communication with communities to ensure impactful ecosystem restoration.
Facilitating community elections to select leaders responsible for restoration networks empowers the community and ensures accountability.
Adhering to legal requirements in restoration policy that mandate community members to take on governance roles, thereby promoting the development of community institutions.

Building networks helps unite various community governance structures, fostering the sharing of knowledge and aligning efforts.
It is crucial to assess the community's need for governance structure facilitation while respecting existing power dynamics.
Community-driven network development creates a central power structure and formalized forum, ensuring that community concerns are taken seriously. This approach enhances visibility and influence with government stakeholders, strengthening CFAs as central institutions within the conservation framework.

Monitoring

Stakeholder Mapping & Engagement

Lake Naivasha

NACOFA

Local community awareness forums

NACOFA

The mapping exercise must be inclusive, involving all key actors such as development partners, community networks, county governments, and national government bodies.
It is vital for the county government to lead stakeholder efforts, ensuring alignment and understanding across the county. Their leadership is also critical due to the heightened governmental scrutiny on conservation and restoration activities.
Pre-existing strong relationships with key stakeholders make it easier to map, communicate, and address key issues and priorities effectively.

Multi-stakeholder meetings led by the county government are preferred to harmonize restoration issues and efforts across the county.
It may be beneficial to map more NGOs working at the local level, as their integration could provide a better understanding of restoration efforts across Lake Naivasha.
Engaging the broader private sector can be challenging unless there is direct funding support for the program. For example, horticultural institutions involved in flower farming share concerns about lake pollution, which could serve as a potential entry point for future discussions.

Community sensitization on environmental issues

A degraded Forest site in Aberdare

NACOFA

Aberdare moor land

NACOFA

The presence of KFS added significant value to the efforts, especially with the introduction of new forestry laws. It reassured the community that they could co-manage their lands, improving their livelihoods. KFS’s involvement provided a sense of ownership and legitimacy, motivating community participation.
Communicating in the local native language facilitated quicker access to information, better understanding, and more effective implementation of initiatives by the community.
Tailoring direct communication to meet the specific needs of the local community was vital for successful community sensitization and engagement.

Sensitization is an ongoing process. Regular meetings and continuous communication are essential to maintaining open dialogue with local actors. Since policies and legislation are constantly evolving, it’s important to engage and update the community frequently.
Linking partners such as government entities, communities, and CSOs to address local issues increases the success of the programs.
The transition from national to county-level management of land and restoration efforts can present challenges, particularly in resource management. The complexity of working across different levels of government can impact resource management and program implementation.
This building block provides an opportunity to empower communities to take ownership of their land and address environmental issues directly, fostering a sense of responsibility and stewardship.

Partnerships: indigenous people and local communities engagement

Some indigenous people engaged in the solution implementation

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Some indigenous people engaged in the solution implementation

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Mutual trust and communication are essential to build strong relationships with IP&LC and organizations for successful restoration actions. IP&LC can include farmers and wildlife wardensm. Oorganizations can include forest offices. To build and maintain strong relationships, we have learned that impactful engagement with IP&LC requires developing shared objectives to keep everyone focused and motivated toward common conservation goals.