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Kenya’s forests are fragmented across the country, combined together the forests expand to over 37 million hectares. Out of those 37 million hectares, 2.1 million are woodlands, 24.8 million are bushlands and 10.7 are wooded grasslands. Kenya’s forests are important at a global level as they host 1847 species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles of which 4% are only found in Kenya. Beyond its fauna, Kenya’s forest also hosts 6505 types of vascular plants, with 4.1% only being found in Kenya. Today Kenya faces high rates of deforestation which endanger both its fauna and flora. It has been estimated that since Kenya’s independence in 1963 the forest has dropped from covering 10% of the nation to 6%, losing approximately 12,000 hectares annually. These levels of deforestation have impacted Kenya as they rely on the forest for the storage of rainwater, the prevention of flooding, the fertility of the soil, and the regulation of climate conditions.

The Kenyan government has intended to conserve its forest with the creation of various organizations and policies. Some notorious steps have been the creation of the Mau Rehabilitation Trust Fund, the Water Towers Conservation Fund, and The Kenyan Forest service. In addition to the government efforts, a new movement led by Kenyan youth has risen to fight deforestation and other climate issues facing the nation.

History
In the pre-colonial times, Indigenous communities in Kenya had an organized system of forest management. Kenyan indigenous communities had a structure in which the distribution of resources and rules were enforced by the elders. In these communities, many areas were designated as “sacred groves” in which activities such as grazing and firewood collecting were banned thus creating several protected areas. In addition, other forms of protective practices were seen with large areas of forests having restrictive rules about what and how much could be extracted depending on the season and location. These practices are rarely seen today as wester methods were adopted, populations increased and land privatization was introduced ,

With the arrival of white settlers, the treatment of forest in Kenya Changed. One of the first notorious changes occurred in 1901 with the completion of the Uganda 567-mile long railway that opened up Kenya to more European settlers. This railway became a large consumer of Kenyan wood as it used it for fuel. The levels of consumption to sustain the railway wood rose to up to 47, 309 tons by 1907. Furthermore, deforestation increased as the settlements of Europeans increased, By the year 1908, white settlers occupied 264,400 acres, they advanced the rates of deforestation with industrial practices, farming, and growing lumber industry.

Prior to the first World War, efforts to stop deforestation began to take place but were quickly interrupted by the war. After the war ended the forest department members rejoined and increased their size but their efforts had little impact. As the second world war came, deforestation worsened. The demand for wood led to the quantity of wood cut going from 970,000 cubic feet prior to the war to 2,204,000 cubic feet by 1941. Much of this wood was used for building military camps and other war efforts and many lumber facilities were working day and night to meet the high demand. The World War II period and its aftermath made it clear to British colonial administration that reform was needed to sustain Kenyan forests. One of the first steps for conservation took place with the 1941 revision of the Forest Ordinance that passed legislation to create forest reserves and create a committee with professionals on matters of conservation. By 1950 the forest department had gained control of 100,000 acres but it had a difficult time sustaining the conservation of these areas; it required meaningful policy to meet the constant attention these areas needed.

As the independence of Kenya approached, its forest continued to degrade in part due to the land demand from the growing population. By the beginning of the 19th century, the population in Kenya stood at 2 million which increased to 8.5 million by 1962. The desired land that could be used for farming was located in the forests thus deforestation increased. In addition, the demand for wood fuel increased in urban areas such as Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa. After Kenya gained its independence in 1963, the efforts to resolve deforestation continued but fell short. Some of the methods partaken during the period included the recruitment of Canadian and British experts to manage the forest. In addition, the Canadian Overseas Assistance Programme assisted Kenya by training its foresters and provided a 5-week tour in Canadian forests to Kenyan conservators as both share a timber industry.

Contemporary Causes
For the last two decades, the challenges Kenyan Forest faces are still similar to its long history of deforestation. Some of the current drivers that are increasing deforestation can be divided into technological, economic and cultural types. The drivers that are qualified as technological are mostly the lack of knowledge about the impacts of deforestation and the lack of appropriate technology required for three growing. The economic drivers are poverty leading to reliance on charcoal fuel and the usage of woodland for agricultural crops. As for the cultural challenges, one can classify the usage of fire for land clearing and the inability to control these fires.

Agricultural expansion has impacted the Mau forest in Kenya. The area has been heavily deforested to grow commercial tea and wheat. The forest of Migori and more western areas use the land for sugar while forest in areas in Nyanza is used for tobacco. Wood extraction also contributes to deforestation but data has been systematically not collected by the Kenya Forest Service and the Ministry of Energy to prevent it from stopping. Most of the deforestation by wood extraction occurs in the dry woodlands of the coast while wood extraction for charcoal and fuel occurs on locations nearby metropolitan areas where the demand exists. Another factor that contributes to the deforestation in Kenya is infrastructural developments. Roads, railways and Dams lead to deforestation as they create new settlements that cause a demand in land and resources from the forested areas.

Measured Rates of Deforestation
During the last two decades of the 21st century, Kenya’s rate of deforestation has remained consistent. The first decade of the century experienced 2,914.55 hectares in a primary forest lost and 19,401 hectares lost in tree cover while the second decade of the century has experienced a total of 2,099.74 hectares lost in primary forest and 17,167 hectares lost in tree cover.