Kefri to plant 250,000 mangrove trees in Coast creeks

Kenya Forestry Research Institute will plant 250,000 mangrove trees in the Coast creeks to mitigate effects of climate change.

The initiative is in line with the national government agenda to increase forest cover by over 10 per cent.

Kefri will use communities engaged in conservation to plant the trees to fight against destruction of the ecosystem.

Already Kefri has bought 70,000 mangrove seedlings to be planted in Mida creek in Kilifi county and Mikindani in Mombasa county.

Kefri deputy director for corporate affairs and quality assurance Jackson Mulatya said out of the 70,000 trees 50,000 will be planted in Mida creek.

Speaking during the launch of the tree planting exercise attended by the community living around Mida creek, he said the event was going on nationally.

He said the programme was made a success through the support of nongovernmental organisations, Kenya Forest Services and community forest associations.

''We are happy to have seen people have turned out in large numbers to join us in the tree planting exercise. We have Kefri staff, KWS staff, CBOs, chiefs and their teams. We have come to cooperate with them to plant trees," he said.

Mulatya said the move is aimed at showing the government is committed to planting trees and appreciated the support they got from the community.

Kefri deputy Coast regional director Stanley Nadir said the agency has been doing conservation with the community in Mida creek for the last six years.

He said destruction was about 40 per cent but had reduced by over 50 per cent due to close engagement with the community.

"Our aim is to reduce the destruction by 100 per cent because climate change will be there," he said.

Edited by Henry Makori