GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

  Encroachment due to population pressure and need for more land for settlement and farming. Pests and diseases e.g. Aphids outbreak (1990’s) destroyed large areas of cypress forests . Forest fires especially during the dry season destroy bamboo and conifers which ignite easily. Game damage – Increasing population of grazers such as elephants, and overgrazing by wild animals cause damage to young forest trees. Overexploitation through logging, charcoal burning, wood fuel lead to a scarcity of forest products. Excisions refer to the allocation and conversion of forest land into private land. Tracts of land have been excised to create room for agricultural show grounds and Nyayo Tea Zones. Poor management of forest resources for example delay in replanting trees after logging leads to the harvesting of immature trees or may necessitate importation of timber and other forest products. Kenya Power and Lighting Company imports poles from Tanzania .  RELATED POSTS 9 CONDITIONS...

  Measures being taken to manage and conserve the environment in Kenya Setting up of NGOs and institutions that support environmental conservation efforts. Carrying out public awareness of environmental issues through mass media and seminars. The Government has enacted laws governing environmental management and conservation. The Government has set up ministries and parastatals bodies to deal with various aspects of the environment e.g. the ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Environmental Management Authority (NEEMA). Some factories are recycling waste materials like scrap metal paper and some type of plastics. Rehabilitation of derelict land is being done e.g. planting trees. People are being encouraged to plant trees and practice agroforestry.   Research is being carried out on the various aspects of development and how such development affects the environment. The Govt in a bid to protect water catchment areas has declared some forests on hi...