On Forest protection

Written by K24
Wednesday, 11 August 2010 07:15

Environmentalists are calling on the government to upgrade the plantation establishment livelihood improvement scheme commonly known as the "Shamba" system.

According to the conservationists, the scheme has successfully stopped logging around forests where it was ongoing.

Mr Rudolf Mkhanu, National Coordinator of the Kenya Forest Working Group, urged the government to enforce the project saying that the scheme gives farmers living around forests a chance to own them thus making them responsible.

He was speaking to the press after touring the Olbolossat Forest in Olkalau, Nyandarua. The group's project officer Jackson Mbabo said the scheme had improved food security in the area. He called on the Kenya Forest Services to approve management plans that community forest associations had drafted, as one way of increasing the country's forest cover.

Mr Simon Mungai, Chairman of the Olbolossa Forest Association, said that 320 hectares had already benefited from the scheme.