NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has unveiled a comprehensive set of measures aimed at safeguarding the nation’s woodland resources and curbing illegal grazing activities.
This announcement follows a directive from Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, emphasizing the government’s commitment to preserving public forests and supporting the ongoing national tree-growing campaign.
KFS Chief Conservator Alex Lemarkoko outlined the new guidelines in an interview, highlighting the need to regulate forest access and ensure sustainable grazing practices.
“Grazing will now be controlled henceforth. This means that if a forest can only have 500 cows at a given time, then it will be 500 cows. Grazers are also being told to register so they can access benefits through the Community Forest Associations,” said Lemarkoko.
The new system will require grazers to register and pay after their designated grazing area has been determined.
This registration will be managed by each forest station and will include detailed records of each grazer’s information and the number of animals they own.
Under the new measures, KFS will conduct forest zonation and mapping to identify areas suitable for grazing.
Grazing will be prohibited in several critical zones, including: plantation areas less than four years old, areas set aside for natural regeneration, and ecologically sensitive areas, such as natural springs, swamps, and river sources.
This zonation is designed to protect young plantations and sensitive ecosystems from the damaging effects of uncontrolled grazing.
The implementation of these guidelines will involve the participation of Community Forest Associations (CFAs) under the supervision of Forest Station Managers.
Grazers must obtain a monthly permit before grazing begins, and each forest station will maintain a grazing register.
Lemarkoko emphasized the importance of community involvement in the enforcement of these guidelines.
“Now with additional rangers and foresters, some important responsibilities are shifting back to KFS, but we are not losing our relationship with the communities,” he stated.
The KFS has been facing a shortage of rangers, with the current ratio of one ranger per 1,200 hectares, compared to the international recommendation of one ranger per 400 hectares.
To address this, the service has recently enlisted 2,664 new forest rangers and is in the process of adding 600 more foresters.
Kenya’s current forest cover stands at 12.3%, with KFS managing 6.4 million acres of forests and assisting counties in managing an additional 4.2 million acres.
The government aims to grow 15 billion trees on 10.6 million hectares by 2032, targeting a tree cover of about 30%.
To ensure compliance, KFS has introduced strict penalties for those who violate the new guidelines.
