With the Forest Network, Naturefund would like to conserve one of the last rainforest areas in Kenya, the Kakamega forest. Together with KEEP, Naturefund will plant a protective ring of trees around the Kakamega forest, in what is a densely populated region.

A protective ring of trees around the rainforest

Earlier large areas of Africa were covered in rainforest. These forests stretched from the Congo, through Uganda all the way to western Kenya. However just a few small areas of rainforest remain in Kenya. One last rainforest area is the Kakamega forest.

The Kakamega forest is a sanctuary for many native species. Monkeys, reptiles and many species of bird bring this forest alive. The diversity of the forest is however severely threatened by the high population density of the surrounding area. People go into the forest to collect firewood, medicine and food. 

School pupils grow seedlings

Naturefund, together with the local nature conservation organisation KEEP, will plant a protective ring of trees around the Kakamega forest in order to reduce pressure on the forest and to provide an alternative source of wood for the local inhabitants.

In a primary pilot project, seedlings will be planted and looked after by school pupils from four different schools. The school that has the most success in growing the trees will win a prize at the end of the year. Alongside this, an awareness of forest protection should also be developed step by step.