Story by Albert Mwangeka
In the move to boost community involvement in conservation efforts, the County Government of Taita Taveta has partnered with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) to establish an umbrella Community Forest Association (CFA).
This initiative was launched after a 5-day engagement that brought together 9 CFAs, county government officials, representatives from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), and the National Alliance of Community Forest Associations (NACOFA).
Grantone Mwandawiro, the County Executive Committee Member for Water, Sanitation, Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, lauded the unified front formed to ensure community members are actively involved in conserving biodiversity.
“With this unity of purpose, it is now clear that we can take care of the environment at a grassroots level. Through the empowerment offered, they can synergize their capabilities and establish nature-based enterprises that boost economic resilience, food security, and help reduce carbon emissions,” the CECM added.
Nathan Gichohi, Senior Ecologist at the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), expressed that the invaluable insights exchanged during the sessions would help sustain the new umbrella body, aligning with the goal of strengthening the coordination of CFAs and promoting their contributions to county forest conservation and management policies.
The groups were educated on Participatory Forest Management (PFM), Forest Management Agreements (FMA), governance (leadership and management), legal frameworks related to forests, the role of KFS, the complementary role of the county government, resource mobilization/revenue generation, advocacy, social safeguards, and youth involvement in leadership.
