Kenya: The Principal Secretary of the State Department for Wildlife, Silvia Museiya, led representatives from the Kenya Forest Service, KWS, National Land Commission, The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), WWF and Civil Society Organizations working in the Amboseli region in planting 200 tree seedlings to mark the launch of the Southern Kenya-Northern Tanzania (SOKNOT- Unganisha) Trans-boundary Program in Loitokitok, Amboseli in Kajiado County.
The Agriculture Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkoko, in his remarks read by the Deputy CCF, Dryland & Private Forests Development Coordination Dr Clement Ngoriareng urged the public to take up tree planting during the upcoming long rains season and advised on the strategy for the dryland region by accessing compatible tree species for dryland ecosystem and fencing to ensure the survival of tree seedlings.
The BMZ funded programme adopts a multi-sectoral approach addressing the needs for conservation and sustainable resource management of the critical wildlife corridor between Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania, which harbours 20 protected biodiversity areas (the largest concentration in Africa).
A key output under the programme is the instituting of a large scale transboundary restoration project aligned with the National Tree Growing Campaign, with the aim of augmenting the efforts of the Kenyan Government in planting 15 Billion tree seedlings by 2032.
The programme also aims to empower beneficiary communities by building their capacity to engage in participatory resource management and conservation of the ecosystem through restoration activities. This will help in diversifying the livelihoods of local communities and increasing long-term environmental & community resilience.
Also present was Ag. CEO NLC Kabale Tache, Guido Reuter (Head of Civil Society Cooperations, BMZ), Mohamed Awer (CEO, WWF-Kenya) and Kajiado South MP Parashina Sakimba.
Kenya Forest Service also tweeted in which they said, “The Principal Secretary State Dept. for Wildlife Hon. Silvia Museiya led representatives from the Kenya Forest Service,
@kwskenya @NLC_Kenya. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), @WWF_Kenya and Civil Society Organizations working in.”
