By Philip Mwakio
Kenya has been commended for its resolve to conserve the environment.
Speaking in Mombasa on the sidelines of this years World Environment Day celebrated at the scenic Haller Park, Bamburi, United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP) Country Director Aeneas Chuma said compared to other African states, Kenya has done better.
“There is however more that needs to be done. Currently the total forest cover in Kenya stands at only three per cent. It should at least reach ten per cent of the total land mass,” said Mr Chuma.
Chuma said that Kenya has made tremendous efforts to conserve the Aberdares and the Mau Forest water towers.
Chuma said that this year being a special year in terms of the world realising sustainable development, it is expected that the Rio+20 conference in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, next week will be platform to change the way development business is conducted.
“This forum will strengthen the tripartite inter-dependency of the environment, social welfare and economic development,” he said.
He went on to state that inclusive and equitable growth would only be sustained if it respects the planet’s natural limits.
“This is a dramatic shift from past development models, which were based on rapid growth spawned by the industrial revolution that hinged on the exploitation of natural resources and dirty patterns of consumption and production,” Chuma explained.
On recent concerns raised over the possibility of Mombasa island sinking, Chuma said it was true that sea level were rising owing to effects of global warming but that there was no major threat.
