Two conservation organisations have pledged to invest up to Sh21.9 billion to improve grazing fields for pastoralists in Africa.
While making the announcement on Tuesday, Conservational International (CI) and Peace Parks Foundation (Peace Parks) said the investment worth $150 million (Sh21.9bn) will help restore 20 million hectares of deteriorated grasslands, Savannah and shrublands.
According to studies, 62 per cent of the world’s terrestrial surface is covered by Savannah, Grasslands and Shrublands, which are crucial to the lives of an estimated 50 million people and indirectly to 200 million others.
The gesture was realized through the support from the East and Southern African governments in collaboration with donors.
“This kind of collaboration is the best way to achieve goals and maintain the ecosystems that for 200,000 years have sustained life across the African continent,” said Suzanne Ngo-Eyok, Conservation International-African Senior Vice President and Chief Field Officer.
“The carbon sequestration potential of Africa’s healthy grasslands, Savannah and shrublands ecosystems is equivalent to the carbon sink value of the entire Amazon rainforest. Even though they store vast amounts of irrecoverable carbon, provide livelihood opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people and are culturally significant to pastoralist communities, current conservation efforts on these ecosystems are low. The investment by CI and Peace Parks aims to Change that,” she concluded.
The investment fits the ideologies of Kenyan President William Ruto, who presided over the three-day climate investment conference in Nairobi.
He emphasised the continent has the potential to transform into a leading green energy supplier.
“Our continent has immense potential to be self-sufficient. However, we are not here to list grievances and problems, we’re here to scrutinize ideas and assess perspectives in order find solutions. Our ambition is to realize 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2030,” he said.
In what seems to be a solution-based agenda, the programme from the Conservational International, Peace Parks Foundation (Peace Parks) and partners, aims at building successful strategies that will relieve the most vulnerable areas from climate captivity.
"Herding for Health, a program that is based on Policy and Governance, livestock management, people and their livelihoods and rangelands operates across 2.5 million hectares in 16 locations and six countries in South African region,” said Werner Myburgh, CEO at Peace Parks Foundation.
This programme will also ensure pastoralists within Africa secure livelihoods against negative Climate Impacts as well as the health of their herds and families among other sustainable benefits.