Maragoli Hills blossom after years of destruction

Gilwatsi Community Forest Association from Vihiga in their tree nursery doing maintenance. [Brian Kisanji, Standard]

Maragoli Hills, one of the largest and most critical forested landscapes in Vihiga County, is undergoing a hopeful transformation through a growing partnership between the local community, the county government, and non-governmental organizations.

Once devastated by decades of deforestation and neglect, the 1,000-acre forest is now at the center of a community-driven restoration effort.

This initiative focuses on education, apiculture (beekeeping), sustainable livelihoods, and a shift in public mindset-particularly among communities that once resisted conservation.

For years, unchecked logging and illegal cultivation fragmented the once-dense forest into scattered patches. The destruction, which began in the early 1990s, targeted one of Western Kenya's vital water towers. Initial resistance from locals, fueled by fears of eviction and lost farmland, stalled early restoration efforts.

Richard Misigo, Secretary of the Community Forest Association (CFA), traces the turning point to 2010, when community leaders took ownership of the forest's future.

He explained that commercial loggers-licensed by the then-provincial administration-were the primary drivers of destruction, not local residents.

"The locals only joined in after seeing the damage done by commercial millers. The licenses allowed logging without any reforestation plan. In 2010, we launched the CFA to restore the forest," said Misigo.

Attitudes shifted through sensitisation campaigns and exposure to successful community forestry models.

"Exchange visits to other Community Forest Associations showed the long-term value of conservation. This changed minds and boosted participation," he added.

Initially, even newly planted seedlings were uprooted by wary residents. But over the past five years, perceptions have transformed. Many now see the forest as a shared responsibility, especially after realizing restoration doesn't mean evictions or land seizures.

So far, more than 150 acres of indigenous trees have been planted.

A key catalyst? Apiculture. Beekeeping has drawn locals into conservation by tying tree protection to tangible economic benefits.