Mau Forest Destruction Will Cost the Kenya Economy US$300M
Protecting Mau Forest in Kenya’s Economic Interest
Nairobi, 17 July 2008-Kenya stands to lose a nature-based economic asset worth over US $300 million alone to the tea, tourism and energy sectors if the forest of the Mau Complex continues to be degraded and destroyed, the UN Environment Programme said today.
The Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, announced this week that the Kenyan government is taking steps to combat the destruction of the largest forest ecosystem in Kenya.
The Mau Complex is not only an asset of national importance that supports key economic sectors in Rift Valley and western Kenya, including energy, tourism, agriculture and water supply, but it is also the single most important water catchment in the Rift Valley and western Kenya.
“For the past few years UNEP has been documenting for the Kenyan Government and the people of Kenya the continued destruction and erosion of this vital ecosystem. It has reached a point where if no measures are taken, Kenya will lose one of its fundamental assets,” warned Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister convened a multi-stakeholder forum to collect information to determine a way forward for protection of the Mau Complex.
“The excisions and the widespread encroachments have led to the destruction of nearly a quarter the Mau Complex area over the last 15 years. Such an extensive and on-going destruction of a key natural asset for the country is nothing less than a national emergency,” said the Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The forum highlighted the need to restore the forest of the Mau Complex. Based on the forum discussions, a high-level task force was established to address encroachments into the forests. A new enforcement structure will also be set-up to tackle rampant illegal logging and charcoal making in the Mau Complex.
“We are looking at restoring the largest ‘water tower’ of this country and all the services it provides to the nation. We are looking at securing the livelihood’s of millions of people who depend directly and indirectly on the Mau Forests Complex,” said the Prime Minister.
[...] Environmental & Political News writes about the conservation efforts to protect the Mau Complex, the largest forest ecosystem in the [...]
Global Voices Online » Kenya: Protecting the Mau forest
20 July 2008
come on!!!
this is a matter of life and death.
the more we continue to alter with the ecosystem,
the more it retaliates,in adverse ways ofcourse.
we need to realize that protection of our
natural ecosystems all narrows down to individual effort.
lets put politics aside and deal with the hot
issues at hand!!!
sylvia
20 August 2008
[...] learn more about the Mau there are several links: 1. A Birdlife Perspective 2. Mau in the News 3. More news on the Mau There is also a community group that is trying to save the Mau and see also [...]
Baraza » The Complications of the Mau Complex
22 August 2008
Please put politics aside and save our forest. We need to think of our children. What shape will Kenya be in when they inherit it?
Irene
14 October 2008
IAM NOT OPPOSED TO PLANNED MAU EVICTIONS BUT THE PROBLEM IS; WHERE WILL THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GO TO? They were settled there several years ago by the government and this government should give them alternative settlement before being evicted.There is no reason for the task force to ask them where they came from before being settled there;every Kenyan has a right to live anywhere in Kenya.The records are in the lands ministry and they should seek what they want from there.The government should not be selective if there is compensation but all with titles be compensated no matter where they came from.
J.s kib
14 November 2008
we can only save ourselves from this destruction by the gouernment adopting a policy to convert cropped land to grassland and forest by encouraging farmers to return to afforestation with detailed compensation and subsidy scheme
T.C.koech
18 January 2009
wonderful efforts put by the most important people in our country. Kenya not only has this great resource but many others that will most definitely benefit us in thousands of ways and give us reasons to be glad to be part of this country.
elizabeth makau
20 February 2009
most pple in mau have their normal land they should identified and settled .And the remaining group shall be proved wrong and advised accordingly.This is a serious matter for play around for their political gain.The earlier the better.
GISORE_ku
16 March 2009
The destruction of the Mau forest-Kenya’s largest water tower points to an environmental disaster that will have unquantifiable impacts on humanity and the environment at large. Genuine commitment, goodwill, stakeholder willingness and support, awareness creation and depoliticisation of conservation issues is required to save the Mau and forests in Kenya.
Hellen Ipara
24 March 2009
it’s very important we note the comparity btween what we have and what we’ll get in any action we take….obviously,eviction from mau forest looks mean to the locals but it is the ultimate solution. The Government is supposed to buy land for the settlement of those evicted or better still,compensate them the way it would happen if there was discovered a petroleum mine there….mau is the equivalent.
Raphael Munga- KU-ECD
19 May 2009
it’s very important we note the comparity btween what we have and what we’ll get in any action we take….obviously,eviction from mau forest looks mean to the locals but it is the ultimate solution. The Government is supposed to buy land for the settlement of those evicted or better still,compensate them the way it would happen if there was discovered a petroleum mine there….mau is the equivalent…..
Raphael Munga- KU-ECD
19 May 2009
preserve the forest but make sure that you reselt people
kigeni j k
23 May 2009
its sad to know that by the time im twenty one of the forests in my country probably will not exist unless we work together as a country!!!!
Booker
5 June 2009
its sad to come to the fact that i probably wont grow up and see the mau forest!
Booker wangongu
5 June 2009