Alarm as indigenous trees in Kakamega forest face extinction

Indigenous trees in Kakamega forest are facing a serious risk of extinction owing to climate change and a myriad of hazardous human activities.

The rainforest is the biggest source of indigenous trees in East Africa, the majority of which are a source traditional medicine used to cure common ailments like malaria, flu, epilepsy, barrenness, erectile dysfunction among others.

The local communities have for decades looked upon the forest as their own local ‘hospital’ owing to the immense medicinal value of the trees within.

It is a rich source of medicinal supplies for herbalists and traditional healers who have always visited the forest for herbs, roots and leaves that are used to heal various ailments.

The forest has over 1,000 tree species with at least 80 possessing immense medical value.

In recent times however, there has been concern over the continued dwindling of indigenous trees in the forest majorly due to human activities and climate change.

Environmentalist and climate change activist Cromwel Busolo of the University of Nairobi cites the Mondia Whitei commonly known as Mukombero, Fagara known as Shikhuma and Olea Capensisi also known as Elgon teak as among the precious trees facing extinction.

He observes that the rainforest continues to play a vital role in the restoration of indigenous tree cover in the local ecosystem, which he says in return plays an equally important role in the existence of beneficial biodiversity.

The expert notes that at least 70 per cent of medicinal plants are found inside the forest while roughly 30 per cent are found around and on the edge of the forest boundaries with local farms.

“We have already observed that locating some of the rarest and oldest species of these trees is nearly impossible.That obviously spells fears of extinction,” Busolo said.

He blamed the situation on human activities including illegal timber harvesting and charcoal burning as among the leading causes of the dwindling population of these trees.

Some trees, according to Busolo,especially those bordering local farms, have been uprooted unsustainably to pave way for human settlements, farming and sand harvesting.

“Trees like the Fagara species are a major target for timber harvestors while many others have been brought down by people for various reasons,” he said.

He said locals are now heading into the forest in throngs after the local supllies of herbs ran out, a situation that has caused overdependence and thus over-harvesting of the indigenous herbs.

“The demand for traditional medicine has shot up yet the supply seems low and that’s why we are having situations where the trees in the forest are being targeted and over-harvested. They are are permanently destroyed in the process,” Busolo added.

The environmentalist called upon stakeholders to formulate strategies of saving the indigenous trees and other biodiversity in the forest.

“For instance, the trees which grow old and fall down shouldn’t be harvested as firewood but rather should be left to decay to eventually allow them expunge their beneficial gases back into the soil for even more favourable conditions,” he said.

Busolo said doing so will reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the environment, which would have resulted from burning the wood and thus reduce global warming, which is a threat to the forest and biodiversity.

“Also, the carbon gas released in the soil is useful to the growth of the other useful trees and plants in the forest,” he added.

He urged locals to embrace tree-planting and  grow their own medicinal trees so as to stop dependence on the tropical forest.

Edited by Henry Makori