page_title: Deforestation in Kenya
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Deforestation in Kenya / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Title: Plantations in Kenya Colony. Loading sisal on narrow gauge R.R. [i.e., railroad] car Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative&#160;:
context_page_description: Kenya’s forests are fragmented across the country, combined together the forests expand to over 37 million hectares. Out of those 37 million hectares, 2.1 million are woodlands, 24.8 million are bush lands and 10.7 are wooded grasslands. Kenya’s forests are important at a global level as they host 1847 species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles of which 4% are only found in Kenya. Beyond its fauna, Kenya’s forest also hosts 6505 types of vascular plants, with 4.1% only being found in Kenya. Today Kenya faces high rates of deforestation which endanger both its fauna and flora. It has been estimated that since Kenya’s independence in 1963 the forest has dropped from covering 10% of the nation to 6%, losing approximately 12,000 hectares annually. These levels of deforestation have impacted Kenya as they rely on the forest for the storage of rainwater, the prevention of flooding, the fertility of the soil, and the regulation of climate conditions.
  The Kenyan government has intended to conserve its forest with the creation of various organizations and policies.
context_section_description: In the pre-colonial times, Indigenous communities in Kenya had an organized system of forest management. Kenyan indigenous communities had a structure in which the elders enforced the distribution of resources and rules.  In these communities, areas designated as sacred groves in which activities such as grazing and firewood collecting were banned from logging, thus creating several protected areas.  Also, other forms of protective practices were present with large areas of forests having restrictive rules about what and how much could be extracted depending on the season and location. These practices are not present today as western methods were adopted, populations increased, and land privatization was introduced. With the arrival of white settlers, the treatment of forest in Kenya Changed. One of the first notorious changes occurred in 1901 with the completion of the Uganda 567-mile long railway that opened up Kenya to more European settlers. This railway became a large consumer of Kenyan wood as it used it for fuel. The levels of consumption to sustain the railway wood rose to up to 47, 309 tons by 1907. Furthermore, deforestation increased as the settlements of Europeans increased. By the year 1908, white settlers occupied 264,400 acres, and they advanced the rates of deforestation with industrial practices, farming, and growing lumber industry.
  Before the first World War, efforts to stop deforestation began to take place but were quickly interrupted by the war. After the war ended, the forest department members rejoined and increased their size, but their efforts had little impact. As the second world war came, deforestation worsened. The demand for wood led to the quantity of woodcut going from 970,000 cubic feet before the war to 2,204,000 cubic feet by 194. Much of this wood was utilized for building military camps and other war efforts, and many lumber facilities were working day and night to meet the high demand. The World War II period and its aftermath made it clear to British colonial administration that reform was needed to sustain Kenyan forests. One of the first steps for conservation took place with the 1941 revision of the Forest Ordinance that passed legislation to create forest reserves and create a committee with professionals on matters of conservation. By 1950 the forest department had gained control of 100,000 acres, but it had a difficult time sustaining the conservation of these areas; it required meaningful policy to meet the constant attention these areas needed.
  As the independence of Kenya approached, its forest continued to degrade in part due to the land demand from the growing population. By the beginning of the 19th century, the population in Kenya stood at 2 million, which increased to 8.5 million by 1962. The desired land that could be used for farming was in the forests; thus, deforestation increased. Besides, the demand for wood fuel increased in urban areas such as Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.  After Kenya gained its independence in 1963, the efforts to resolve deforestation continued but fell short. Some of the methods partaken during the period included the recruitment of Canadian and British experts to manage the forest. Also, the Canadian Overseas Assistance Programme assisted Kenya by training its foresters and provided a 5-week tour in Canadian forests to Kenyan conservators as both share a timber industry.
caption: Kenyan colony
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