Tackling rural poverty, together

Extract

In November of 2005 the Government of Kenya (GOK) ratified a new Forests Act. The Forests Act is an outcome of the Kenya Forest Master plan finalized in 1994. In the new Forests Act the government embraces the concept of participatory forest management. The act gives particular consideration to formation of forest community associations, which will be recognized as partners in management. Furthermore, the act opens commercial plantations to lease arrangements by interested groups to supplement government efforts. This is a radical departure from previous practice where the government assumed full management responsibilities in gazetted forest reserves. The act can improve the forest productivity and increase availability of timber and other products/services for domestic use and export.

This institution-centered strategic environmental assessment (SEA) aims to assist the GOK with the implementation of the Forests Act by informing the forest component of the Natural Resource Management project (2007–2012) and informing the Forest Reform Secretariat of priority areas for successful implementation. To achieve its objective, the SEA blends analytical work and consultations with key stakeholders. The SEA takes into account input from a wide range of stakeholders including communities, private sector and non-governmental organizations. It provides recommendations in terms of concrete actions necessary to implement the Forests Act in the form of a policy action matrix, and some immediate follow-up steps.