Kenya: The Kenya agriculture Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkoko, presided over the launch of the Lusoi Hill Participatory Forest Management Plan (PFMP) and the Signing of the Forest Management Agreement (FMA).
Lusoi Hill is a public forest covering 259.9 Ha at the border of Laikipia and Nyeri counties. The development of the PFMPs is done in line with the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016, the legal framework upon which participatory forest management is established.
The purpose of this PFMP, developed with support from the Sustainable Agriculture Community Development Programme (SACDEP-Kenya), is to provide a framework for sustainable management of this fragile ecosystem for the improvement of livelihoods for the adjacent community. The Cooperative Bank has also contributed to the building of Forest Ranger’s houses and other infrastructure at the cost of Ksh 30 million.
In his address, the Ag.CCF noted that Participatory Forest Management and community participation is a demonstration that forestry can be used to solve the socio-economic needs of people living adjacent to forests, and further observed that Lusoi Hill has a lot of potentials to attract investment and tourism activities and generate income for the communities.
He urged locals to also plant trees in their farmlands to ensure both Laikipia and Nyeri counties experience environmental improvement.
It is projected that the successful implementation of the Lusoi Hill PFMP will inspire the youth in Nyeri, Laikipia and other areas, particularly to take up careers and activities geared towards the conservation of our nation’s natural resources.
During this exercise, the Ag.CCF also launched the Schools and Youth Environmental Conservation in Action learners guide developed by SACDEP-Kenya.
The launch was attended by KFS and Government officers, including Deputy CCF Peter Nduati, Kenya Forestry College Principal Dr Elizabeth Wambugu, Central Highlands Regional Forest Conservator Andrew Soi, Laikipia County Director of Environment and Natural Resources David Kingori and private sector partner Cooperative Bank among others.