5 Nov 2012

KENYA / DEFORESTATION

A new report finds that deforestation is costing the Kenyan economy millions of dollars each year and increasing water shortage risk. The head of the UN Environment Programme, Achim Steiner said the study highlights the opportunities presented by an inclusive green economy. UNEP

Posted at: November 5, 2012 12:53 pm

Duration: 02:41

Available in: SD

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STORY: KENYA / DEFORESTATION
TRT: 2.41
SOURCE: UNEP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 5 NOVEMBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA / 13-24 OCTOBER 2012, NAIROBI & MAU, KENYA / FILE

SHOTLIST:

OCTOBER 2012, NORTHERN MAU, KENYA

1. Various shots, deforested hill-side in northern Mau that is being replanted
2. Med shot, detail of burnt tree-stump on hillside

OCTOBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ibrahim Thiaw, Director, Division for Environmental Policy Implementation, UN Environement Programme (UNEP):
"When you deforest a country you actually lose the whole chain of service that are provided by the forest in terms of water resources, the impact on tourism, the impact on livelihoods of communities, you have some indigenous peoples that live in the forest, so all these costs have not been valued yet, but it is critically important to understand that there are more than trees in forests."

OCTOBER 2012, ANABKOI, NORTHERN MAU, KENYA

4. Various shots, local community members planting tree seedlings near the forest

OCTOBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Mbugua, Director, Kenya Forest Service:
"We have embarked on a very aggressive campaign of re-establishing our boundaries, but more importantly we have put on Mau about 700 forest rangers basically to patrol."

FILE - 2009, KENYA

6. Various aerial shots, over Mau showing deforestation

OCTOBER 2012, NORTH-WEST MAU, KENYA

7. Various shots, smoke from charcoal burning rising above the forest

OCTOBER 2012, NAROK COUNTY, SOUTH-WEST MAU, KENYA

8. Various shots, charocal being sold by the side of the road
9. Various shots, farmer Agnes Kosen and members of her community group making briquettes out of leaves and waste-paper
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Agnes Kosen, Farmer and Briquette-maker:
"Whether you are poor or rich, you need the forest, because if there is no rain, where are you going to get food? You plant whatever you plant, and it will not grow because there is no rain, and we depend on rain."

OCTOBER 2012, NAKURU, KENYA

11. Close up, raindrop on a leaf
12. Various shots, the Makalia river, which originates from the Mau forest
13. Various shots, tourist van at Lake Nakuru

5 NOVEMBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP): 
"It continues to build on a body of work that we together in Kenya, but also UNEP with many other partners across the world is developing, to change the economic perspective on the value of these resources."

OCTOBER 2012, OLENGUORONE, CENTRAL MAU, KENYA

15. Various shots, indigenous forest

STORYLINE:

Deforestation deprived Kenya's economy of 5.8 billion shillings ($US 68 million) in 2010 and 6.6 billion shillings in 2009, far outstripping the roughly 1.3 billion shillings injected from forestry and logging each year, according to a joint Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report.

The finding underscores the fact that forests are worth more standing than cut down, and that they prop up many sectors of the economy, creating a ripple effect.

Ibrahim Thiaw is Director of UNEP's Division for Environmental Policy Implementation.

SOUNDBITE (English) Ibrahim Thiaw, Director, Division for Environmental Policy Implementation, UN Environement Programme (UNEP):
"When you deforest a country you actually lose the whole chain of service that are provided by the forest in terms of water resources, the impact on tourism, the impact on livelihoods of communities, you have some indigenous peoples that live in the forest, so all these costs have not been valued yet, but it is critically important to understand that there are more than trees in forests."

The ongoing work of the government-run Kenya Forest Service, together with the Kenya Bureau of Statistics and international partners, says that the contribution of forests to the economy is undervalued by 2.5 per cent.

The Kenyan government has already given considerable recognition to the value of its forests, and is working on the rehabilitation of the Mau Forest Complex. Over the last one-and-a-half years, more than 21,000 hectares of forestland have been repossessed, and 10,000 hectares have been rehabilitated by the Government of Kenya and partners.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Mbugua, Director, Kenya Forest Service:
"We have embarked on a very aggressive campaign of re-establishing our boundaries, but more importantly we have put on Mau about 700 forest rangers basically to patrol."

Between 2000 and 2010, deforestation in the water towers amounted to an estimated 28,427 hectares. The main reasons for deforestation are charcoal production, logging of indigenous trees, farming and human settlements.

Fuel wood and charcoal represent the most important energy source for the population, at 75 per cent, and the forestry sector creates both formal and informal job opportunities, especially in rural areas. As a result, deforestation has largely been driven by private consumption, as the demand of households has doubled within the last ten years.

65-year-old Agnes Kosen is a farmer near the southern tip of the Mau complex, in Narok County, and makes fuel briquettes out of leaves and waste paper together with her community group, which are then sold as an alternative to charcoal. It's part of an initiative run by a local charity and sponsored by the government and international donors to improve local livelihoods to take pressure off the forest.

SOUNDBITE (English) Agnes Kosen, Farmer and Briquette-maker:
"Whether you are poor or rich, you need the forest, because if there is no rain, where are you going to get food? You plant whatever you plant, and it will not grow because there is no rain, and we depend on rain."

The economy and the welfare of Kenya's forests are closely linked. The country's five main forest areas feed filtered rainwater to rivers and lakes and provide more than 15,800 million cubic metres of water per year, which represents over 75 per cent of the country's renewable surface water resources.

This benefits major sectors of the country's economy: agriculture, electricity, water and tourism.

Launching the study today, the head of the UN Environment Programme, Achim Steiner said it highlights the opportunities presented by an inclusive green economy.

SOUNDBITE (English) Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP): 
"It continues to build on a body of work that we together in Kenya, but also UNEP with many other partners across the world is developing, to change the economic perspective on the value of these resources."

For Kenya, UNEP concludes that "it is possible" to achieve a green economy with some fiscal reforms and reforms to certain sectors, including the forest sector.

The report recommends that Kenya work on improving sustainable forest management, strengthening regulations, encouraging investment in the forestry sector and ensuring increased forest plantation growth in the long term.