The Kenya Forest Service has warned illicit brewers and charcoal burners against destroying Kaya and mangrove forests.
The agency has formed a special team, which works with Community Forest Associations, to curb the vice.
KFS chief conservator of forests Alex Lemarkoko on Friday said eight people have been arrested in Kilifi county for cutting down trees in Kaya Bomu.
“The eight were involved in cutting trees in Kayas and putting up some structures in protected areas. They are now in custody waiting for their date with the court. We will not allow our Kayas and mangroves to be destroyed,” he said.
Lemarkoko said in Mombasa, unscrupulous developers are reclaiming part of the sea in Moroto and putting up residential structures.
“In the coastal environment, we have more than 61,000 hectares (150,734 acres) of mangroves and about 30 per cent has been destroyed,” he said.
Lemarkoko spoke at Tudor Creek in Mreroni, Jomvu subcounty, where they planted mangrove trees.
KFS has also partnered with the Kenya Pipeline Company to conserve forests. KPC has adopted 50 hectares (123 acres) of mangrove forests in Mombasa on which they have planted 440,000 trees.
Their target is 500,000 trees by the end of this year.
KFS said 30 per cent of mangroves in Mombasa have been destroyed by illicit brewers and charcoal burners.
KPC managing director Joe Sang said the tree seedlings they planted have a survival rate of 94 per cent.
He said they want to plant five million trees in the next 10 years across the country to support the green agenda.
“We started this journey in 2021, now about three years. We started with 100,000 and we’ve been growing steadily. Last year, we did 212,000 trees,” Sang said.
KPC and KFS on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance their collaboration, which will see KPC adopt other forests.
Mangroves, Lemarkoko said, offer a transitional space between the terrestrial and marine ecosystem and stabilise the interface area, which provide a habitat for various microorganisms.
He said the KPC facilities and infrastructure in terrestrial environment traverse some parts of the forests, providing challenges that require their collaboration.
“This includes ensuring the pipeline section in the forests is secured and that requires joint interventions. The MoU looks at all those factors, including this one of planting mangroves and restoring the forest ecosystems,” Lemarkoko said.
Sang said the benefits of mangroves are immense to the communities, including attraction of fish closer to the sea shores that enable fishermen to catch them easily.
“We all know fish is a source of food for the community here. There is a special breed of mangrove that can be used for beekeeping and honey harvesting,” he said.
The tree planting venture creates employment opportunities for the youth, who are usually contracted to plant the trees for KPC at times.
Sang said it is not about the pipelines and the big projects, but the small projects that touch the lives of the community.
“Oil comes all the way from the high seas through the Port of Mombasa. We chose Tudor Creek because this is the beginning of our journey,” he said.
KPC director Mutungwa Wambua said the mangroves at Mreroni section of the Tudor Creek helps about 500 homesteads get their bread.
He said conservation needs concerted efforts between the community and the government.
“The more we collaborate, the more the community benefits,” Wambua said.
He said beekeeping in the mangrove forests, which has eight species of mangroves, creates income generating ventures for Mreroni residents.
“One species produces fruits used in salad making,” Wambua said.
