Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has called for collaborative efforts to restore and protect Kenya's forests, emphasizing their crucial role in food security, biodiversity conservation, and economic empowerment.
In a speech read on his behalf during the International Day of Forests celebrations at Chepalungu Forest in Bomet County, Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi highlighted the urgent need to combat deforestation, land degradation, and climate change, which threaten food production and livelihoods.
Duale outlined the government's ongoing efforts to restore forests, including fencing public forests to curb encroachment, implementing the Green Zones Development Programme to enhance community resilience, and advancing the ambitious 15 billion Tree Growing Programme to boost forest cover and mitigate climate change.
So far, 766.3 million trees have been planted nationwide, with Bomet County achieving a 26.78% tree cover and an annual planting target of over 13 million trees.
