At CEA we focus on forest conservation and management as a critical game changer in the important work that has to be undertaken to mitigate global climate change challenges. We work with other leading researchers and natural resource management experts to essentially develop points of intervention in the environmentally sensitive vital ecosystems to Kenya’s social economic development. Kenya has five critical water catchment areas of importance – Mt Kenya, The Aberdares, The Mau Complex, Cherangani and Mt Elgon. These are the key water sources in Kenya providing almost 90% of all ground water flows in the country.
They are also the key recharge drivers of our underground water aquifers that provide water downstream. The relevance of the protection and conservation of these forest landscapes is based primarily on the critical function of provision of water to a water-scarce country. These landscapes are also the home of complex natural ecosystems that contribute towards environmental sustainability and therefore support the foundation upon which many other development sectors depend (e.g. agriculture, water, energy, tourism, health, etc.). CEA is working with other stakeholders in two areas in vital landscapes. Getting community engaged in landscape restoration and tree planting on private and public lands.
One is the engagement with government and policy makers to highlight the import and the consequences of ignoring continuous degradation and destruction of forests. Here we do policy advocacy through organizing meetings, consultations and information sessions with decision makers in government and the private sector. These dialogues are critical because engagements remove blind spots and unknown consequences. It also reduces misinformation due to wrong data or unavailability of data.
CEA is also involved in information sharing and capacity building of the communities living adjacent to these resources. These are organized formally as Community Forest Associations (CFAs) for each forest reserve. There are also Water Resource Users Association (WRUAs) for each river basin or sections of it. We do capacity building and occasionally with the help of other NGOs such as Friends of Karura we take them to actually experience the working and successes of a well-managed forest reserve. Tree planting is a major activities for these community groups.
In these efforts various support from many sources have been utilised. In the recent past CEA has worked with World Wildlife Fund, Kenya; The Greenbelt Movement; The World Resources Institute; Absa Bank PLC; and many others