The Family Group Foundation has partnered with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to accelerate the restoration of the Ngong Hills Forest Ecosystem through the establishment of a nursery with the capacity to produce one million tree seedlings.
The partnership, formalised through a three-year Framework for Collaboration, will focus on increasing seedling production, supporting tree-growing initiatives and strengthening the involvement of communities in forest conservation.
The initiative builds on restoration work launched by the Foundation in 2021. So far, the Foundation has invested more than Sh18 million in efforts to restore the Ngong Hills landscape, resulting in the planting of more than 20,000 indigenous tree seedlings and the active restoration of about 70 acres.
Family Group Foundation Executive Director John Waimiri said the partnership would help shift the focus from individual tree planting to the wider restoration of the ecosystem.
“Our target is to scale restoration efforts across the full 240-acre target landscape by 2030. This partnership provides a stronger platform to move beyond individual tree-planting activities towards long-term ecosystem restoration,” Waimiri said.
He said KFS would provide the technical expertise and institutional support needed to ensure the restoration efforts have a lasting impact.
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry estimates that the Ngong Hills Forest requires about one million trees, in addition to fencing and geo-mapping, to help address degradation and encroachment.
KFS Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko described the partnership as an important step in strengthening forest conservation and landscape restoration.
“Today we mark an important step in advancing forest conservation and landscape restoration. Our focus goes beyond growing trees to also supporting the communities living around these landscapes,” Lemarkoko said.
He added that the partnership demonstrated the potential of government, the private sector and communities to work together in addressing environmental challenges while supporting local livelihoods.
The nursery project will be developed using KFS’s Model Tree Nursery blueprint, which promotes the establishment of high-capacity, standardised nurseries capable of producing large quantities of quality seedlings.
The initiative also supports the Government’s 15 billion Tree Growing Programme and contributes to Kenya’s broader climate action and environmental conservation agenda.
Beyond increasing the number of trees planted, the partners say the project is intended to strengthen long-term ecosystem restoration by improving access to quality indigenous seedlings and involving communities in protecting and restoring the forest landscape.
Also Read: Need to utilise digital technologies to support basic education
Did you love the story? You can also share YOUR story and get it published on Bizna Click here to get started.