Reforestation of large areas of indigenous forest by institution-supported communities is not easy: there is no precedent in Kenya and few elsewhere in East Africa. Plants for Life in Tigoni has been reforesting a valley for the last 12 years with the aim of both ecological restoration, biodiversity conservation and livelihood development. While mistakes have been made, many lessons have been learned. What is clear is that ecological restoration is a long-tem exercise that requires substantial investment and capacity-building. It is insufficient merely to plant trees and forget about them. There are major issues concerning the control and eradication of invasive species, spacing, species selection, plant succession dynamics, and plant propagation techniques. In addition, a growing or mature forest has to have economic value to compete with alternative land use. This may be in the form of carbon sequestration, ecosystem services or income-generating activities.
The Brackenhurst reforestation project has reached a stage where it can serve as a model for large-scale indigenous reforestation projects in East Africa as we can now build capacity among other communities, local organizations, parastatals and Government agencies involved in ecological restoration by demonstrating what we have done and sharing our experiences. The major achievement of the project to date outside of Brackenhurst has been our sub-project in Trans Nzoia and West Pokot where we initiated tree planting in schools, institutions such as ADC, Churches and over 300 private farms. The total number of indigenous trees that have been planted has reached 1,200,000 in seven years.
Although the Brackenhurst project is on private land, the owners, Brackenhurst Baptist International Centre, have divested all commercial interest in the project. The NGO behind the project, Plants for Life International (PLI) is trying to get the forest gazetted as a Trust through the Forest Act and ensure that the forest pays its way in perpetuity through a number of ventures. The NGO is also in a position to provide attachments for trainees and group training for projects which need training in species selection, tree nursery management, planting density, control of invasive species, young forest management, and planning for sustainable timber and non-forest product development for the purposes of livelihood creation.
The proposed two?year funding will place this environmental project on sustainable footing by supporting both infrastructural and community development. This support will be the prerequisite for a livelihood-based environmental enterprise as well as a strengthening the model to assist those involved in large-scale reforestation schemes.