• The Ministry announced this during the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought celebrations held at Olkinyei in Laikipia County on June 17, 2024.

The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry has called on all communities adjacent to forests to join or form Community Forest Associations (CFAS).

The Ministry announced this during the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought celebrations held at Olkinyei in Laikipia County on June 17, 2024.

“On sustainable utilization of forest, resources, the Ministry encourages all forest adjacent communities to join and/or form Community Forest Associations (CFAs) through which they can engaged with Government using negotiated Participatory Forest Management Plans (PFMPs) and Forest Management Agreement (FMAs) as stipulated in the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016,” the Ministry said in part.

The CFAs are associations formed by individual members who pay a prescribed membership fee.

Participatory Forest Management (PFM) which was introduced in Kenya in 1997 has led to CFAs. PFM is adopted widely in many developing countries as an alternative method for managing forestry resources.

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These associations are mandated with protecting sacred groves and trees, assist the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) or any relevant authority in enforcing the provisions of the Forest Conservation and Management Act as well as execute any other activity necessary for the drive.

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Hon Soipan Tuya, presided over World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought this year. She visited a successfully restored rangeland at Maiyanat Community Conservancy during the event.

The Ministry's push for community involvement in forest management aligns with the principles of the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016, which emphasizes the importance of participatory approaches to ensure the sustainable utilization of forest resources.