The Kenya Forest Service has reached an agreement with environmental stakeholders on fresh strategies to restore the degraded Mount Elgon forest.
Mount Elgon forest spans parts of Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties.
In a renewed conservation push, KFS and its partners have forged a working collaboration aimed at rehabilitating the forest, a vital water tower that supports livelihoods across the region.
Central to the plan is the use of indigenous knowledge to replenish tree species that have gradually disappeared from the vast ecosystem.
Joseph Mbugua, the KFS conservator for the region, said the initiative will play a crucial role in bringing back species that are now largely absent from the forest.
“The use of indigenous knowledge is an effective and sustainable method to reclaim depleted species within Mt Elgon forest,” he said.
KFS, alongside the Chepkitale Indigenous People Development Project (CIPDP) and other stakeholders, agreed to adopt the approach during discussions held at Westside Hotel.
Participants noted that many indigenous tree species have been lost over time due to human activities, including logging and charcoal burning around the forest.
“We have come up with key resolutions on how to restore the forest. Key actors in conservation have agreed to adopt an indigenous approach to bring back the lost tree species,” Mbugua added.
Under the plan, CIPDP is expected to play a leading role in identifying the indigenous species that have disappeared and guiding efforts to restore them within the Mt Elgon ecosystem.
“CIPDP will take a key role in identifying extinct species and championing their restoration,” Mbugua said.
Stakeholders also resolved to scale down livestock grazing within the forest, citing overgrazing as a major contributor to degradation and a growing threat to the ecosystem’s survival.
Communities living around the forest will be more actively involved, with agreements to establish scout groups tasked with monitoring and reporting incidents within the forest.
Efforts to tackle forest fires will also be strengthened through cross-border collaboration.
Given that the Mt Elgon ecosystem extends into Uganda, stakeholders said they will work closely with conservation agencies and communities across the border to address fire outbreaks.
“The ecosystem stretches across the border, and we will engage conservation actors in Uganda to ensure joint efforts in combating fire incidents,” Mbugua said.
CIPDP chairman Johnson Chengeywo welcomed the partnership, describing it as a timely step towards restoring an ecosystem that remains a key source of livelihoods for communities in both Kenya and Uganda.
Ogiek community elders, led by Cosmas Murunga and Janet Chemtai, pledged to rally local support for the initiative, expressing commitment to efforts aimed at restoring indigenous tree species in the forest.
