Voi’s Sagalla community secures stakeholder validation for Forestry Management Plan » Capital News
VOI, Kenya, May 17 –The Sagalla Forest Participatory Forestry Management Plan (PFMP) has secured stakeholder validation in a significant victory for the host community.
The PFMP seeks to empower community members by granting them user rights for the utilization of forest products, thereby bolstering their economic resilience.
Grantone Mwandawiro, the County Executive Committee Member for Water, Sanitation, Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, explained the PFMP framework will lead to enhanced water conservation efforts, the promotion of ecotourism, and the establishment of nature-based enterprises.
These enterprises could include sustainable timber production, non-timber forest product harvesting (like honey, fruits, and medicinal plants), and eco-friendly tourism ventures.
The PFMP also supports the county’s ambitious goal of planting 360 million trees over the next decade, with each resident tasked with planting 100 trees annually.
Peter Mwangi, the Kenya Forests Service (KFS) Conservator, emphasized the importance of this initiative in increasing the county’s forest cover from 3.41 per cent to 10 per cent and the tree cover from 6.87 per cent to 30 per cent.
Elizabeth Mbinga, the County Chief Officer (CCO) for Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, praised the plan’s focus on conservation.
“Having a guide towards the Sagalla Forest, a natural resource, is going to help preserve plant and animal species for future generations,” she stated.
Nathan Gichohi, Senior Ecologist at Africa Wildlife Foundation AWF, expressed his satisfaction with the PFMP’s progress thanking the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) for funding and the Community Forest Association members together with the County Government of Taita Taveta for their support.
Following the validation, the next steps include the development of a Forest Management Agreement, its signing by the CECM, and the subsequent launch of the plan.
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