The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya (WWF-Kenya) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in forest landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.
The agreement, signed by Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Mr. Alex Lemarkoko, EBS, ‘ndc’ (K), and WWF-Kenya Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jackson Kiplagat, will support Kenya’s efforts to achieve 30 per cent tree cover by 2032, while promoting the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded public forest areas.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, CCF Lemarkoko said partnerships were essential to scaling up forest restoration and strengthening sustainable forest management. “The scale of the restoration challenge requires strong partnerships. Working with organisations such as WWF-Kenya and local communities will strengthen our collective capacity to restore and sustainably manage our forests,” he said.
Mr. Kiplagat said the partnership would provide a framework for coordinated action towards restoring degraded landscapes and strengthening ecosystem and community resilience. “This partnership provides an important platform for coordinated action to restore landscapes, protect biodiversity and strengthen the resilience of communities and ecosystems,” he said.
The collaboration will focus on forest protection, participatory forest management, community empowerment, seedling production, biodiversity conservation and climate-resilient initiatives across priority landscapes in Coastal Kenya, South of Kenya, the Kenya Rift Lakes and Northern Kenya. It will also support implementation of the 15 Billion Tree Growing Programme, with a Joint Coordination Committee providing oversight and conducting annual reviews of progress.
