December 2011 was a busy month for the residents of South Aberdares ( Kereita and Uplands forests) and Hombe forest in Mt Kenya, when they joined staff from NIC Bank, Unilever, Kenya Defense Forces,
Africa Point in planting more than 60,000 seedlings in the degraded sites of the forests.

The events saw staff from NIC Bank and Unilever Ltd mingle with local people and Kenyan Soldiers
in planting a variety of indigenous seedlings particularly those species that population has been affected
negatively by uncontrolled activities. 40,000 seedlings were planted in Kereita forest through the support of Unilever Ltd and Kenya Defense Forces, 10,000 Seedlings in Uplands by NIC Bank and 10,000 seedlings in Hombe Forest courtesy of Africa Point.

All the seedlings were bought from the local farmers and seedling growers as a way of motivating
them. In Uplands, Michael Gachanja, Deputy Director, East African Wild Life Society commended NIC Bank for their continuous support in conservation of forests through Tupande Pamoja. “The gesture
by NIC is a demonstration that private sector have a key role to play in securing Kenyan forests and contributing to better lives for the forest adjacent communities’ said Gachanja, “It is a better way of promoting the bank’s social responsibility and its green policies”.

Over the last decade, Kereita, Uplands and Hombe forest, just like many other Kenya forests have greatly depleted by illegal human activities. NIC National Bank, Unilever, African Point were responding to an appeal by Tupande Pamoja, that is spearheading a reforestation programme in Kenya.

Tupande Pamoja is a joint initiative by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the East
African Wild Life Society, Kenya Forests Working Group and Nature Kenya in collaboration with the
Kenya Forest Service (KFS). It aims at forging partnership between public / private corporations or
institutions and local communities to rehabilitate Kenya’s forested water catchments.

By David Kuria

It is no secret that the Society over the years since 1961 has become very focused on Kenya and not nearly enough focused on the other East African countries, notwithstanding the Society’s name. Over the last 2 years there had been a conscious push to redress this imbalance. But it did not seem sensible to try and achieve this by setting up EAWLS branches in those countries, which would inevitably end up in competition with and resentment by existing similar conservation organizations active in those countries.

For Uganda, there exists the Uganda Wildlife Society. So during 2011, the two Societies have been engaged in discussing how best to collaborate with each other to the mutual advantage of both. The process was facilitated by a genuine keenness from both parties to have a successful outcome. The result has been a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed in December.

Under this MoU, both parties have agreed that areas of collaboration, include, but are not limited to the following:
• Research, policy, law, institutional reform and advocacy in regard to the management of natural
resources
• Sharing of experience, information and expertise in undertaking the above collaboration
• Facilitating donor support for undertaking the above work
• Working together on advocacy and advocacy materials.

With the MoU in place, there is now a need to move this approach into actual activities based on a needs assessment. We intend doing this during this month and next. We will keep every one informed on what emerges.

By Nigel Hunter,  Executive Director, East African Wildlife Society

In your next SWARA
• Tanzania – an end-year conservation report: Could Do Better
• Kenya – hope on the poison trail
• Uganda – We meet the Chimp man
• Zambia – all you needed to know about rhinos in Zambia
• Seychelles – leave your guilt and carbon footprint behind
• Kenya – a forest fragment discovered – yes – discovered
• Book reviews – new and improved, a guide to trees and shrubs


SWARA 2012:01 IS out now and available either through EAWLS membership or, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, at a newsstand near you.

By Andy Hill, SWARA Editor, East Africa Wildlife Society

For the first time, key stakeholders concerned with conservation of coastal forests have come together  to forge a united front to reverse  a  worrying trend of accelerated forest loss. During a workshop held in Mombasa on Nov 10, 2011 that saw the formation of Kenya Coastal Forests Conservation forum, field reports were made public that confirmed fears of a looming disaster due to loss of forests and trees that play a critical function in protecting the coastline among other environmental services.

Historically, terrestrial coastal forests were part of an extensive network of forests extending across East Africa to the Congo basin. The reduction in forest area and subsequent fragmentation of forests into isolated remnant pockets has proceeded gradually due to climate change and, in recent years, more rapidly due to human factors.

“…Coastal forests are rich in biodiversity and host 554 endemic plants, 53  endemic animals, and half of the country’s threatened woody plants….” said Mr. Kiunga Kareko programme manager of  WWF, in opening remarks at a workshop that initiated the  Kenya Coastal Forests Forum
It emerged that large scale utilization of wood in salt processing is a major threat to the survival of coastal forests.

The forum has made its first move by organizing a media fact finding mission to a salt processing factory in Gongoni Magarini district based on reports that it was contributing to  accelerated de-vegetation both on-farms and woodlands in Magarini district. Findings were documented and shared with the Kenya Forests Service and NEMA, who swiftly moved and suspended the firewood collection permit of that company. The fact finding mission brought to light critical issues that require urgent attention as to strategies in use over climate change mitigations and their implications.

Most salt processing factories are aware of the adverse climatic  implications of coal and other fossil-based fuel in treating salt and have shifted to diverse forms of renewable energy. Shifting from coal to biomass based energy is encouraged. There are however different forms of biomass energy sources whose selection is key to the carbon balance. Biomass is carbon, hydrogen and oxygen based. Biomass energy is derived from five distinct energy sources: garbage, wood, waste, landfill gases, and alcohol fuels. Wood energy is derived both from direct use of harvested wood as a fuel and from wood waste streams.

There is over-dependence on the use of wood for treating salt but no meaningful plans or investment are in place to grow plantations to supply the much-needed wood. This is contributing to de-vegetation and significantly contributing to carbon emission. Trees and forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it during photosynthesis to carbon, which they then "store" in the form of wood and vegetation, a process referred to as "carbon sequestration."
Ideally, it is beneficial to keep carbon locked in wood, to minimize its release to the atmosphere through combustion or decomposition.

Salt companies should diversify energy sources and explore the use of other biomass sources such as garbage, bi-products/waste among others. Use of forest wood as source of biomass fuel should be discouraged essentially because of the time it would take to recapture carbon released to the atmosphere on burning of wood;  the carbon storage capacity of the forest may be reduced overall if forest degradation is allowed. Ideal sources are fast growing plants, where it is quicker to recapture released carbon through re-planting/new growth.

In essence besides minimizing the use of fossil fuels emphasis should be put on conserving forests to prevent stored carbon from escaping  to the atmosphere, that  significantly alters  the carbon balance and therefore impacts on climate change.

Another critical issue as relates salt processing and forests/trees and the broader issues of climate change  is the  energy/heat  conversion efficiency of combustion chambers for salt treatment. There is need to ensure compliance to set standards for assured  efficiency in energy use.
The Kenya Coastal Management Forum, that is co-hosted by WWF and Kenya Forests Working  aims to enhance coastal forest conservation through advocacy, capacity building and research for sustainable development. Members meet  quarterly and have prioritized  for action  the following  key threats to coastal forests;
1.    Inadequate capacities to actively manage coastal forests.
2.    Land and resource tenure insecurity
3.    Bureaucracies and inadequate capacity within the Participatory Forest    Management process.
4.    Urbanization and industrialization. E.g. upcoming mega-infrastructure in Lamu.
5.    High population pressure and human settlement.
6.    Climate change
7.    Encroachment to Forests  for settlements and illegal extraction of forests products
8.    Poor environmental governance  (institutional weakness, weak   enforcement, ineffective policies and laws)
9.    Inadequate local communities’ participation in conservation associated with lack of conservation awareness.
10.    Large scale monocultures such as bio-fuels  (e.g. jatropha carcus)- replacing  indigenous forest species/ claiming forest land
11.    Erosion of Cultural values.
12.    Low house hold incomes (Poverty)
13.    Lack of current information on coastal forests and their status

By Rudolph Makhanu, Kenya Forest Working Group