Community driven regeneration of native forests in Kenya

Snapshot Solution

Tree Planting in Hombe forest

Mount Kenya, with its lush biodiversity and vital ecosystems, has been increasingly threatened by deforestation, habitat degradation, and the adverse effects of climate change. To combat these challenges, our project, funded by IKI small grants and implemented by Help Self Help Centre, focuses on the community-driven regeneration of native forests. This initiative is not just about planting trees; it's about empowering local communities and ensuring environmental sustainability for generations to come.

Our solution begins with the heart of the issue: the people who live adjacent to the forest. These communities are directly impacted by the degradation of the environment and are pivotal to its restoration. We have trained over 1,300 members of Community Forest Associations (CFAs) in essential skills such as organizational management, leadership, and sustainable natural resource management. This comprehensive training equips them to actively participate in and lead conservation efforts.

Last update: 13 Aug 2024

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Context

Challenges addressed

Land and Forest degradation

Loss of Biodiversity

Unsustainable harvesting incl. Overfishing

Lack of alternative income opportunities

Scale of implementation

Local

Ecosystems

Tropical evergreen forest

Theme

Adaptation

Mitigation

Ecosystem services

Restoration

Gender mainstreaming

Indigenous people

Local actors

Traditional knowledge

Location

Kabaru, Nyeri, Kenya

East and South Africa

Impacts

We trained 1367 members of Community Forest Association (CFA), out of the targeted 1500.The beneficiaries of this training exercise included 786 male and 581 female. The training sessions comprised of topical issues like organisational management, leadership, advocacy, restoration and reforestation techniques including sustainable natural resource management.
All the 18 targeted community managed tree nurseries, received training in seed aggregation, grading, storage, propagation, nursery management, basic business skills and marketing (100% complete).
All of the 10 seed collections centres have received training in organisation, management, technical, entrepreneurship and business skills. Seven collection centres also received support in construction materials and tools.
The project planted 154,222 native trees out of the planned 150,000 trees. This included the 21,321 seedlings, mostly during the rains of March/April 2024, replanted after failing to survive.