FOREST MANAGEMENT STATUS AND CHALLENGES IN KENYA D. K. Mbugua Ag. Chief Conservator of Forests Forests Department

Location map of forests in Kenya

Mandate of Forest Department To contribute to the growth of the natural resource sector by enhancing development, conservation and management of all forest resource base in the country. This entails ensuring an increasing supply of forest products and services to meet the basic and industrial needs of the present and future generations

Vision Statement Sustainably conserved and managed forest resources for the common good of Kenyans

Mission Statement To develop, manage, conserve and protect forests, trees and forestry resources sustainably for socio-economic development

The Forest Master Plan Process This was a forest sector analysis and road map for development which involved the following, Technical inputs Policy analysis Legislative analysis Critical linkages Resource analysis Institutional analysis Socio and economic analysis Strategy formulation Market analysis Processing and technology requirement analysis

The Forest Master Plan Process Cont … Stakeholder analysis Identification of key players and interest groups Participatory stakeholder workshops Strategy formulation for the sector outlook Status quo (business as usual or do nothing scenario) Master Plan scenario – requiring policy, legislative, programme and institutional reforms Piloting on district forest master planning

Forest Policy and Legislative Development Considerations Land use changes and mitigation measures Supply and demand for forest products Demand for environmental services especially water Need for transparency and accountability Efficient Institution for effective service delivery

Forest Policy Development Considerations Cont …. International conventions and treaties Natural resources governance Wide Stakeholders involvement Efficient technologies for processing forest products The overriding consideration was to bring about sustainable forest management

The Kenya Forestry Master plan process This process identified four (4) core programmes and three (3) service programmes as follows, Core programmes Natural forests conservation Farm forestry Industrial plantations development Dryland forestry development

The Kenya Forestry Master Plan Process Cont … Service Programmes Forest legislation, Policy coordination and planning Forest protection Forest management services

Natural Forests Management and Conservation Programme 1.24 million ha - coastal forests, dry forests, montane forests, western rain forest Economic and environmental importance Soil, water and biodiversity conservation Climatic amelioration Cultural values Tourism

Natural Forests Cont…. Wildlife habitats Timber values Herbal medicine Carbon sinks Non-wood forest products

Natural Forests Conservation Programme Cont … Issues and challenges Resource assessment for management planning Loss of forest cover and degradation due to population pressure Incentive for promoting sustainable forest management Stakeholders involvement Forest valuation and national accounting Identification and application of viable forest based micro-enterprises to drive conservation efforts Payment of environmental services

Farm Forestry Programme Started in 1971 as RAES By 1997, 40% of woody biomass on farms Biomass steadily increasing in the farm lands at the rate of 0.5 m3 / ha Growing stock estimated at 9.3 m3 / ha Stocking potential estimated at 27 m3 / ha Expected to produce 17.8 million m3 of wood i.e. 80% total wood production by 2020

Farm Forestry Cont … Projected annual wood production in farm lands (‘000m3) 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Indigenous forests 1942 1905 1868 1830 1792 1755 Industrial plantations 2121 2494 2112 2165 2281 2657 Farms and Settlements 7437 9373 11396 13406 15666 17825 Total 11500 13772 15376 17401 19739 22237 Farm as % of total 65 68 74 77 79 80

Farm forestry cont… Environmental and economic importance Contributes 47% of wood consumed in Kenya Per capita wood consumption is 1 m3 (population is 30 million) Contributes 14.1 million m3 of wood valued at KSh 9.87 billion Carbon sinks Environmental benefits eg. Nutrient cycling Considered to be the biggest source of wood biomass in future Source of data: World Resource Centre (WRC)

Farm Forestry cont…. Issues and Challenges Incentives to stimulate private sector investment e.g. affordable credit High wastage in conversion and processing Inadequate product marketing information Inadequate superior germplasm and diversity for short rotation tree crops (especially indigenous tree spp) Forest certification and access to carbon trade benefits

Dryland Forestry Programme. Besides the gazetted forests, woodlands and bushlands are estimated to cover 36.7 million Ha. Environmental and economic importance Wood carvings estimated at – Ksh 1.5 billion annually Charcoal/Firewood estimated at – Ksh 12 billion NWFP (honey, basketry, fodder, herbs etc.) – Ksh 3.2 billion

Drylands Forestry Cont … Flood control especially along rivers (riverine forests) Carbon sinks Biodiversity reservoirs Major source of honey Important for supporting beef industry

Drylands Forestry Cont… Issues and challenges Poor infrastructure that inhibits local investments Vast underutilized resources with scanty information Conflict zone – livestock/wildlife/agriculture Potential for high value non-wood forest products (NWFP) Unsustainable forest resource exploitation associated with high levels of poverty and low input agriculture. A case for Osylis lanceoratus (saddle wood) Source of data: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Dryland forestry potential 1. A. senegal for gum arabic

Dryland forestry potential Conti … 2. Melicia excelsa for timber VOI, TAITA

Dryland potential Conti … 3. Aloe vera & basketry

Dryland Potential Conti … 4) 2 yrs Melia Volkensii, for timber, Kitui

Industrial Forest Plantations Development programme Area 120,000 ha (100,000 ha stocked) Environmental and economic importance Well managed forest plantations can yield in excess of 600 m3 / ha (valued at KShs 700,000) direct contribution to conservation of indigenous forest support to employment and industrial growth Carbon sinks Soil and water conservation

Industrial Forest Plantation Cont… Issues and challenges Establishment methods - Non-resident cultivation (NRC) vis-à-vis mechanical methods Increasing unit productivity Product pricing Commercialization (concessionaires) Efficient processing technologies Widening species range especially indigenous Wildlife damage to plantations Forest fires

Emerging Issues / lessons Inadequate forest policy and legal framework for the conservation and management of forests CAP 385, Laws of Kenya does not recognise role/rights of forest adjacent communities and those living in forest reserves. Existing law gives little recognition of the potential of forestry practice beyond gazetted forests Current Forest Policy focuses on govt. programmes & fails to address resource mobilisation Current policy does not address forest issues in a cross sectoral manner

Emerging Issues / lessons Cont … Institutional failures, Institutional rigidity requiring institutional reforms Low capacity to respond to emerging challenges Climate change (UNFCCC) CDM – bio-diesels, CDM – Carbon trading (transaction costs prohibitive)

Emerging Issues / lessons Cont … Deforestation Overexploitation of forest resources – 80% of domestic energy is wood based (Charcoal/firewood) Grazing pressure – wildlife and livestock Forest land use changes (excisions, expansion of cultivated lands) Forest fires

Emerging Issues / lessons Cont … widening gap between supply and demand for forest goods and services Inadequate information on the status of forest resources (quality, quantity, growth & yield trends) for planning Need to maximise revenue from forest plantations

Emerging Issues / lessons Cont … Lack of appropriate incentives to engage private sector in forestry development Lack of policy framework to promote and support production, processing and marketing of charcoal Need for forest resource valuation and mainstreaming of forestry in national accounting system

Way forward Paradigm shift More private sector involvement in production of forest goods and services Wide stakeholder participation Participatory forest management Sustainable management for all types of forests

Way forward Cont … Provision of appropriate incentives (Forest based micro enterprises and re-allocation of user rights) Bio-diesels (Croton megalocarpus, castor oil, jatropha, jojoba) Insect farming Mushroom growing Production and processing of non-wood forest products – gums, resins, essential oils, medicinal herbs

Way forward Cont … Forest certification as a soft policy to promote Sustainable forest management Application of forest principles Use forest management standards Access to niche markets

Way forward Cont … Payment for environmental services Carbon trading Water from well conserved forest areas Eco-tourism Fish farming

Way forward Cont … Capacity building among resource owners & scientists Forest policy analysis and strategy formulation Forest certification Forest/tree valuation Proposal writing to reduce transaction costs in project design matrix (PDM) for carbon trade initiatives

Way forward Cont … Forest resources assessment and valuation Participatory resource planning Extent and distribution of forest cover types Forest investment guidelines Institutional, policy and legislative reforms Efficient service delivery & regulatory framework Enabling environment All inclusive approach to forest management

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