NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 12 – For decades, communities surrounding the Geta Forest Reserve located in the Aberdare Ranges in Nyandarua County were regarded as adversaries of forest conservation.
Illegal activities such as charcoal burning, illegal wood harvesting, honey harvesting, and forest encroachment had contributed significantly to the destruction of this part of the Aberdares.
Sophia, a section under the Geta Forest Reserve bore the brunt. This specific part was not enclosed by an electric fence, making it extremely vulnerable to these illegal activities.
Water springs that supplied water to the nearby settlements, which played a critical role in supplying water to the surrounding communities, had dried up.
“Our fathers at the beginning did not know the importance of this forest. During those days, our fathers used to cut trees. We cut trees for timber, especially the red seeders for posts, but because they had no means of getting money. What they did then now, we have now realized it destroyed our forests,” said Daniel Mwaura, who was a chief in Wanjohi for more than 20 years.
Communities near Geta were viewed as rogue because they threatened sections of one of Kenya’s critical water towers.
The Aberdares Ranges are vital water towers in the country, with four out of seven of Kenya’s largest rivers, which include Tana, Athi, Ewaso Nyiro, and the River Malewa, sourcing water from these ranges.
The River Tana is the largest river in Kenya, supplying water to the Seven Forks hydroelectric power complex. The hydroelectric plant generates over 55% of Kenya’s total electricity output.
These ranges are also water catchment areas for the Sasumua and the Ndakaini dams, which provide water to Nairobi and its neighbors.
Furthermore, the Aberdares is home to diverse species of wildlife, many of which are Kenya’s conservation interests, including elephants, giant forest hogs, rhinos, leopards, and the critically endangered mountain bongo, making the ranges a valuable tourism asset for the country.
Over the years, the accelerating human population in the prime agricultural land surrounding the Aberdares meant that farming activity was being conducted right up to the national park and forest reserve boundary, a factor that greatly catalyzed the destruction of some parts of the forest.
Conservationists were concerned that the communities surrounding Geta had contributed greatly to its decline due to a lack of environmental awareness and education.
Through collaborative efforts between KFS and Rhino Ark, sustainable programs that promote conservation over harmful activities were introduced to the communities surrounding Geta.
According to Reuben Mwangi, who is a field officer at Rhino Ark, the institutions have engaged with the community through barasas and other forms of meetings to enlighten them about the importance of forest conservation.
The organizations, through the Darwin Initiative Funds, have established an Indigenous tree nursery with a capacity of 100,000 trees, which currently holds 71,539 seedlings and aims to facilitate the rehabilitation of Sophia.
Regular crop damage by wildlife, especially elephants, was a major problem for the farmers, who suffered great losses. Encounters between farmers and wildlife occasionally led to human fatalities and served to heighten tensions between humans and wildlife.
In addition to the 400 km fence the organization has erected around the borders of Aberdares, Rhino Ark is further facilitating the erection of a 12 km electric fence to cover the Sophia area to prevent human-wildlife conflict and forest encroachment.
“We organized community Barasas which were spearheaded by the area chiefs, and we first explained the importance of the Barasas and then the community attended; we informed them on the need for conservation and other activities that they could do not to destroy the forests,” he stated.
Through these programs, the communities have been able to form community Forest Associations (CFA), which have been focal in collaborating with the KFS to peddle conservation and rehabilitation efforts in the forest.
According to Mwaura, who is also the chairman of the Geta CFA, the formation of these CFA groups has been momentous in changing the mindset of the community.
“We brought together the community and showed them the importance of the forest and lastly we saw them owning the forest. If today they see a fire somewhere in the forest, you will see them rushing all there wanting to know who is destroying the forests,” he said.
The Geta CFA has 3600 members. Once you are a member of a CFA, you are issued with a unique identity card that identifies you as a member of the association. The community members are required to pay Ksh 100 for the ID.
Mwaura notes that once a community member gains access to the card, he/she is granted permission by the Kenya Forest Service to enter the forest and engage in conservation activities.
If a CFA member is discovered participating in actions that destroy forests, his or her ID is canceled, they are expelled from the organization, and legal action is taken against them.
Through the CFA, the community members are mobilized and participate in conservation efforts such as forest rehabilitation through tree planting and also fence building.
“When they get an ID, they know they are authorized to get in the forest, and it’s like we have taken an oath; you are aware that the forest is yours and you are on the forefront of forest conservation,” he stated.
The group has taken a step further to start their own tree nursery, which they use to supply to the community members so that they may plant them at their homes.
This has not only championed tree planting but has further encouraged people to keep away from the forest.
Through the CFAs, the youths have further received education and have been trained to also spearhead conservation efforts activities such as putting off forest fires and other income-generating activities such as acting as forest tour guides.
According to Geta CFA Secretary Meshack Kimani, the association has further been fundamental in collaborating and reaching out to the government to get more boost to elevate their conservation efforts.
According to the inspector commander of Geta Forest Station, Peter Kiana, the community members around the forest have also been foundational in preventing other illegal activities such as poaching.
“We have been having so many arrests in Geta, and from last year to this year in Geta we have already arrested 20 poachers, but as we speak, we have only had one arrest thanks to community policies; the CFAs have been very vigilant,” he stated.
“Since we registered the CFA members, they have been really of good help to us, and they are not forced to bring themselves because they have understood the importance of the forest and conservation, so they are the ones that have been helping us,“ he added.
According to Mwaura, the rehabilitation of the forest has not only been fundamental in rejuvenating the once deteriorating ecosystem and restoring the springs once again to life but has also proved that it is possible to co-exist with nature harmoniously.
The government targets to plant 15 billion trees across the country by 2032. If successful, this effort can be a game-changer in enhancing biodiversity, improving soil health, and ensuring sustainable water management.
President Ruto, shortly after assuming office, challenged Kenyans to plant a minimum of 100 trees each.
During a gathering at the Nairobi Arboretum on Thursday commemorating Mazingira Day, the environment cabinet secretary Aden Duale revealed that Kenyans have collectively planted 481 million trees since the beginning of 2024.
He urged every Kenyan to view tree planting as a personal responsibility that contributes to a healthier planet.
It is a proactive step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to climate action (SDG 13), life on land (SDG 15), and zero hunger (SDG 2).
