Residents of Narok have been urged to plant trees during the ongoing short rains to improve forest cover.
Beth Walemba, the county deputy ecosystem conservator, asked residents to get seedlings from the forest department nursery at Sh12 per seedling.
Walemba urged farmers to ensure a portion of their land was occupied with trees for more yields.
Speaking in her office, she said trees conserve moisture and prevent soil erosion.
“People should plant species that do well in Narok like pine, casuarina, eco- grevillea and blue gums on exotic species while on indigenous species they should plant Prunus Africana, Dombeya species,” Walemba said.
She said though the local meteorological department said the rains might not last for a long time, residents should plant trees and when the rains subside, they can water the seedlings until they flourish.
Walemba said the county had targetted planting 43 million trees to attain 30 per cent forest cover.
“Narok is the home to the Maasai Mau forest which is one of the 22 blocks of the forest. Therefore the forest cover in the county should surpass the 10 per cent target,” she said.
Environmentalist Nicholas Murero said Narok is endowed with numerous natural resources and should be protected.
They are the Mau forest, Maasai Mara game reserve, rich agricultural soils among others.
Murero said the best way of preserving the natural resources is by planting more trees and protecting the already existing forest from destruction.
He urged everyone to plant trees in their homesteads to protect the environment from degradation which contributes to long dry spells.
“There is a strong correlation between humans and the environment such that human beings cannot do well if the environment is not doing well,” he said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
