Sixty years of U.S.-Kenya Partnership
Forestry Research Collaboration in Climate
Change Mitigation
PDF Version
By: Robert Uri Dabaly | July 5th 2024
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Kenyan President
William Ruto initially created a State Department for Environment and Climate
Change in the Ministry of Environment to forestall the adverse effects of
global warming preceding his State visit to the United States and met President
Joe Biden. The two leaders showcased how partnership would deliver tangible
benefits in shared climate solutions.[1] Executive Order No. 1 of
2023 assigned functions to the State Department that would not only manifest
climate change policy but also forestry development policy and forestry
management which includes re-afforestation and agroforestry.[2]
The President Ruto’s directive
accelerates implementation of his administration’s programs for protection,
conservation and management of forest resources under its Forest Strategy that
details institutional capacity for forest research and technological
development, among other things.[3] To supplement
revitalization of capacity building to better deal with evolving climate
related challenges,[4] the
U.S President Joe Biden welcomed Kenya’s leadership in hosting the upcoming
Smithsonian Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) international
analytical gathering that facilitates studies on the diversity and dynamics of
forests, the forest carbon cycle, and the impact of climate change on forest
biodiversity.[5]
The increased frequency or intensity
of extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, are shared global
challenges, emanating from inordinate variations in temperature and rainfall
patterns that also contributed to biodiversity loss. Exacerbated by land
degradation as over eighty percent of land in Kenya is classified as arid and
semi-arid which makes it necessary for analytical gatherings like the ForestGEO
network, since attendant solutions to soil fertility, erosion reduction, and
sustainable land management practices should ensure greater protection of
natural resources, as well as cushion the international community’s exposure to
adverse effects of global warming.[6]
Forests in climate change mitigation
Forests are woody
vegetation growing in close proximity in an area of over 0.5 of a hectare
including a forest in the process of establishment, such as woodlands and
thickets.[7] A broader definition would
be all land bearing vegetation dominated by tress capable of producing wood, or
other products of exerting influence on the climate or water regime and may
also provide shelter to livestock and wildlife.[8] Climate change, geological
substrate, soil fertility, vegetation, natural and anthropogenic disturbances bring
about variances in forest structure and composition.[9] Some scholars argue that
industrialized countries should both recognize their reliance upon tropical
forests in foreign relation policies, and consider reducing exportation of wood
from tropical countries, as it would expedite sustainable management, through
imposition of appropriate tariffs and quotas.[10]
Ruto administration’s strategic
objectives are to: strengthen environment, climate change and forestry
governance; reduce environment and land degradation; and to enhance
agroforestry development through strengthening the value chain and commercial
forestry, among others may be realized not only by adoption of land, under
climate resilience management, but also by enhanced awareness of environmental
management and protection measures, through technical or policy briefs that support
the efficacy of resource mobilization for sustainable management of forest
ecosystem.[11]
USAID is a development partner of
Kenya’s Ministry of Environment, as it provides support and sustainable investments
in carbon markets, or where economic incentives align with large-scale forest
conservation.[12]
The agency works with local communities, governments, and institutions to
strengthen capacity to assess and manage climate risks, in addition to
increasing equitable access to finance for reforestation that reduces flood
risks.[13]
Research collaboration
Kenya Forestry
Research Institute (KFRI) structured its operations on the following themes:
forest productivity, health and tree improvement; forest biodiversity, climate
change and environment management; forest products and entrepreneurship
development; socio-economics, policy and governance; and forest research
support services, among others.[14] This institute may obtain
valuable insights or technological applications from ForestGEO since the
network recognizes the importance of collaboration with KFRI to strengthen
science capacity in order to improve understanding and prediction of forest
dynamics in rapidly changing landscapes and climate.[15]
U.S – Kenya ties
should sort out implementation challenges related to inadequate funding for conservation
and management projects. Also, foster capacity building accompanied by active
leadership in climate action, through meaningful participation of stakeholders.[16] Furthermore, the
emergence of big data and application of artificial intelligence in
environmental monitoring, data analysis, modeling, and prediction, as well as maintaining
coherence in Kenya’s carbon market requires continued cooperation, to activate
technological solutions or to spur green investments.[17]
ForestGEO offers Kenya unique
long-term and large-scale date sets that will enable scientists to upgrade
their explanations of mechanisms and processes relating to tropical forests,
since knowledge on both temperate and tropical plots are essential for
comprehensively evaluating climate change or ecological viability of responses.[18] For instance, ForestGEO’s
permanent forest dynamics census plots are used for simulations in development
of strategies for conservation of plant diversity in sustainable forestry by
using rapid assessment to generate a complete coverage of proxies for
underlying species richness in a local forest since the census is carried out
and linked to the rapid assessment proxies.[19]
Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute funded scientific research that confirmed, for example,
forest disturbance and climate factors are the main drivers of liana dominance
in global forests which affects forest dynamics, and these findings are crucial
for understanding impacts of global carbon sink, forest recovery from
disturbance, timber yields, and resilience to climatic change.[20]
Conclusion
Kenya’s bottom-up
economic transformation agenda should achieve expeditious fruition with the
assistance of the U.S. The leveraging of research and technological
advancements, in the formulation and application of sustainable solutions, for
effective rejuvenation of conservation measures, to restore ecological
functions of forest ecosystems should deliver socio-economic, or environmental
benefits for inhabitants.
The upcoming
Smithsonian ForestGEO international gathering in Kenya may impart credible
findings for policy makers in their consideration of feasible forest management
policies against effects from both natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and also assist conservationists in determining the most
suitable use of forest resources strained by rapid economic
growth.
Author’s Bio: Robert Dabaly is currently a Pupil at Ogetto,
Otachi & Co. Advocates in Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a Master of Law from the
University of Essex. Views are personal.
[1] Office of the President of the Republic
of Kenya, “President Ruto Creates Climate Change Department” (9 January 2023) https://www.president.go.ke/executive-order-no-1-of-2023-organization-of-the-government-of-kenya/; & The White House, “FACT SHEET:
Kenya State Visit to the United States” (23 May 2024) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/23/fact-sheet-kenya-state-visit-to-the-united-states/
[2] Executive Office of the President,
“Executive Order No. 1 of 2023 – Organization of the Government of the Republic
of Kenya” The Government Printer (9 January 2023) page 58 https://www.president.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/Executive-Order-No.-1-of-2023-Organization-of-the-Government-of-Kenya.pdf
[3] Section 6, Forest Conservation and
Management Act Cap. 385; & Rules 2 and 5, The Forests (Participation in
Sustainable Forest Management) Rules No. 34 of 2016.
[4] Ministry of Environment, Climate Change
& Forestry, Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027 (27th July 2023) pages 20
– 24. https://environment.go.ke/downloads/
[5] The White House, “FACT SHEET: Kenya State
Visit to the United States” & ForestGEO, “2024 Analytical Workshop” https://forestgeo.si.edu/training-and-fellowships/2024-analytical-workshop
[6] Ministry of Environment, Climate Change
& Forestry, Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027, page 20.
[7] Section 2, Forest Conservation and
Management Act Cap. 385
[8] D. Schoene and M. Netto (2005) The Kyoto
Protocol: what does it mean for forests and forestry? Unasylva 222:56 https://www.fao.org/4/a0413E/a0413E02.pdf
[9] Asner, G. P., J. Mascaro, H. C.
Muller-Landau, G. Vieilledent, R. Vaudry,
M. Rasamoelina, J. Hall, and M. van Breugel (2012) A universal airborne LiDAR approach for
tropical forest carbon mapping. Oecologia. DOI 10.1007/s00442-011-2165-z. Published online
28 October 2011
[10] John Kipkoech Chebii (2015) Forest
Management and Conservation in Kenya: A Study of the Role of Law in the
Conservation of Forest Resources. University of South Africa. LLD Dissertation.
page 124. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/20093
[11] Ministry of Environment, Climate Change
& Forestry, Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027 pages 31 & 40.
[12] U.S. Agency for International
Development, “Forest Conservation: Natural Climate Solutions” https://www.usaid.gov/climate/natural-solutions/forest-conservation
[13] USAID, Climate Strategy 2022 – 2030
(April 2022) pages 18 &19 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/USAID-Climate-Strategy-2022-2030.pdf
[14] Section 22, Forest Conservation and
Management Act Cap. 385; & Kenya Forestry Research Institute, “Our vision
& Mission” https://www.kefri.org/components/vision/vision.html
[15] ForestGEO, “What is ForestGEO” https://forestgeo.si.edu/what-forestgeo
[16] Ministry of Environment, Climate Change
& Forestry, Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027, pages 32 & 33.
[17] USAID, Climate Strategy 2022 – 2030 page
6 & A World Bank Group and Kenya Private Sector Alliance (2024) Carbon
Market Guidebook for Kenyan Enterprises, World Bank, Washington, DC https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099040424053541073/pdf/P1796801e6f92d053187b01916665fc998d.pdf
[18] ForestGEO, “Research Programs” https://forestgeo.si.edu/research-programs
[19] Bo-Hao Perng, Tzeng Yih Lam, Su-Ting
Cheng, Sheng-Hsin Su, Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, N.A. Bourg, D.F.R.P. Burslem, N. Castaño, Á. Duque, S. Ediriweera,
N. Gunatilleke, J.A. Lutz, W.J. McShea, M.D. Md
Sabri, V. Novotny, Michael J. O’Brien, Glen Reynolds, George D. Weiblen, Daniel
Zuleta (2024). Mapping distribution of
woody plant species richness from field rapid assessment and machine learning. Taiwania 69 (1): 1-15. DOI:
10.6165/tai.2024.69.1 https://taiwania.ntu.edu.tw/pdf/tai.2024.69.1.pdf
[20] Ngute, A.
S. K., Schoeman, D. S., Pfeifer, M., van der
Heijden, G. M. F., Phillips, O. L., van Breugel, M., Campbell, M.
J., Chandler, C. J., Enquist, B.
J., Gallagher, R. V., Gehring, C., Hall, J.
S., Laurance, S., Laurance, W. F., Letcher, S.
G., Liu, W., Sullivan, M. J. P., Wright, S.
J., Yuan, C., & Marshall, A.
R. (2024). Global dominance of lianas over trees is driven by forest
disturbance, climate and topography. Global Change Biology, 30,
e17140. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17140