A multi-million Euro project to assist in the restoration of the north western part of the Mau Forests Complex was announced by the EU, UNEP and the Government of Kenya today. The project, details of which were unveiled during the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, will secure services generated by the flows of the Yala and Nyando rivers. These rivers, which feed Lake Victoria and are important for drinking water, also support 5,000 hectares of rice production important for local food security and the Kenyan economy.
Mr. Janez Potocnik, EC Environment Commissioner, said today: “The EU and UNEP share many common priorities—from climate change and sustainable energy to environment and development. Sustainable management of natural resources, sustainable consumption and production and the Green Economy are among those key priorities”.
“Today we are also announcing support to the Government of Kenya, through UNEP, towards rehabilitation and restoring one of Kenya’s and East Africa’s key pieces of natural infrastructure. The Mau forest complex is a living example of where economy and environment intersect and reflects not only our cooperative work with UNEP, but the EU’s overall vision for a sustainable 21st century at home and abroad”, he added.
Mr Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, said: “The Government of Kenya has embarked on a remarkable transformation of its economy in which renewable energy and improved management of its nature-based assets are at the core of its sustainable, 2030 Vision, development path. Realizing that vision however requires the support of committed partners—and I would like to thank the Environment Commissioner for the EC’s commitment in the UNEP-Kenya partnership in support of conserving and restoring Kenya’s vital water towers”.
“The Mau Forests Complex is emblematic of the challenges, but also the opportunities being faced by countries across the globe. The new strategic cooperation between the EC and UNEP with funding from the EU will allow us to better meet the genuine aspirations of more and more nations towards their transition to a Green Economy,” he added.
The new, over 2 million Euro project for the Mau will support world-wide efforts as part of the UN’s International Year of Forests. It will cover the north west of the Mau forest where significant degradation of the indigenous forest, leading to conversion into grassland, has occurred due to unsustainable use of forest resources. Part of the project will tackle this issue through the establishment of wood lots for local peoples’ cooking needs.
The loss and degradation of forest in this part of the Mau forest is endangering a range of businesses, development initiatives and biologically important sites. The area is the upper catchment of the Yala and Nyando rivers that both flow into Lake Victoria and provide water for rice production with a market price in excess of one billion Kenyan shillings. The moisture and micro climate made possible by this portion of the forest are also critical for the important tea industry in the Nandi Highlands.
The area also supports river flows that are central to the success of a UNEP-Global Environment Facility funded project to reduce the electricity costs; boost power supply availability and cut greenhouse gas emissions linked with the tea industry. The estimated micro-hydropower generation potential in the Nandi tea growing areas alone is estimated at 9.5 Megawatts.
The Yala and Nyando rivers also support key conservation areas, including ones designated Important Bird Areas—bird watching is a key part of the Kenyan tourism industry. The Yala for example supports the health of the Kakamega forest and the Nyando the health of the Kusa Swamp.
Thanking the European Union for their support, Mr. Hassan Noor Hassan noted that “the EU-funded project is quite timely and relevant. First of all, it aims at directly supporting the Mau Secretariat at a time when the Secretariat is addressing the complex situation of Phase III of the repossession of forestland. It is also the time when the Mau Secretariat is tackling its wide mandate of providing a framework for the sustainable management not only of the Mau forest ecosystems but also of the other water towers of Kenya”.
The project will target five forest blocks in the north-western part of the Mau forest. Geographically, the projects complement perfectly the support provided by other development partners and other local stakeholders. The project will address the rehabilitation and sustainable management of the upper catchment of the Yala and Nyando Rivers.
“The range of activities in these five forest blocks is very much in line with the current approaches and priorities of the Mau Secretariat”, Mr. Noor added.
These activities will include:
- Surveying and demarcating the boundaries on the ground. To date four forest blocks have been surveyed. Through this project, five additional forest blocks will be surveyed;
- Supporting communities in the management of natural resources. The project will assist the Community Forest Associations and the Water Resources Users Associations in managing their natural resources and in deriving alternative livelihood benefits from the conservation and sustainable management of these resources. This is part of the wider devolution of power in the management of natural resources in Kenya which is enshrined in the Water Act 2002, the Forest Act 2005 and the new Constitution;
- Rehabilitating the degraded forest area. Extensive areas of the Mau have been clear-felled or heavily degraded. The Mau Secretariat has embarked into a forest adoption programme to assist rehabilitating these areas. The project will assist directly in these rehabilitation efforts.
