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Kenya: The Chief Conservator of the Forest Alex Lemarkoko welcomed a team from the Northern Rangeland Trust and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The meeting was between the three organizations was hosted at the KFS headquarters on Monday.
The Northern Rangeland Trust and The Nature Conservancy teams were led by NRT Technical Adviser, Juliet King. Meanwhile, The Kenya Forest Service has shared the details of the meeting, along with some crucial glimpses.
According to the details shared by the KFS, the team is seeking to partner with the Service in a carbon project. The project in question targets terrestrial forest areas, owned by both the government and community within the Kenyan Coastal and Northern region.
NRT through support from TNC carried out a pre-feasibility study which established potential for three carbon pathways (REDD+, ARR and Soil Organic Carbon). The project development will majorly fall within forest areas within KFS jurisdiction thus the need for collaboration.
The Chief Conservator of Forest Lemarkoko asserted that the project must align with the national landscape and ecosystem restoration strategy. The strategy was announced by the President of kenya, William Ruto, in December 2022.
The aim of the initiative is to grow 15 billion trees by 2032 and cover 30 percent of the country’s landmass with trees. He noted that the project targets an area where the government aims to grow over 5 billion trees in.
Accordingly, Alex Lemarkoko called on the two organisations to prioritize seedling production to meet the demand for trees to be grown.
The CCF also called on the two organisations to involve communities adjacent to project area, and to ensure they benefit from the project. He also called on them to continue partnering with the Service in tree growing activities.
On their part NRT expressed their gratitude towards the Service for the continued support they have been accorded by KFS field officer. They noted that they endeavor to put communities at the center of their undertakings.
The CCF was accompanied by Charity M. Munyasya, SDCCF Strategy Partnership and Resource Mobilization, alongside other officials from both KFS, NRT and TNC.