In Kenya, the long-term economic plan “Vision 2030” (2008) identifies forests as one of the key sectors supporting primary industries. However, due to population growth, social development, land use change including agriculture, non-sustainable use, and lack of governance, the country is losing approximately 52,000 hectares (2010-2018) of forest every year, and this trend is particularly evident in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) that cover 80% of the country and have high demand for fuelwood and charcoal. In response, the government has been working on both policy and implementation to achieve the constitutional target of 10 percent tree cover and Vision 2030 through watershed conservation, afforestation and reforestation, and reduction of deforestation and forest degradation in five major regions of the country. The target of 10 percent tree cover was achieved in 2021, and a new target of 30 percent tree cover by 2032 has now been set.
In addition, as a country that has ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the country has committed to reduce its emissions by 32 percent by 2030 compared to the emissions that would have occurred in the absence of such measures in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) for climate change mitigation and adaptation (revised in 2020).
This cooperation will strengthen the capacity of Kenyan institutions to promote sustainable forest management, landscape restoration, and climate change mitigation and adaptation by strengthening policies, commercial forestry promotion, and forest tree breeding, primarily in semi-arid areas, and will help promote the country’s goal of achieving and maintaining new tree cover levels. The project will contribute to the promotion of efforts to achieve and maintain the country’s goal of new tree cover levels. In addition, we will also promote regional cooperation and contribute to the promotion of forestry and climate change initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa.
© Source JICA