How communities are saving Kenya's rarest cloud forests

Communities living around Iyale Hills Forest in Taita Taveta County are combining biodiversity conservation with sustainable livelihoods.[File, Standard]

The road to Iyale Hills forest in Taita Sub-county winds steeply out of Wundanyi, climbing until the tarmac ends and the mist takes over. Perched at the edge of this hill is Choke A, a village that literally seems to be constantly swallowed by low-hanging fog. On these green slopes, the clouds hang so close to the farms that the trees seem to be peeking inside them.

But it is not even the beautiful views that draw the most attention; it is the lush greenery and innovations that seem to paint a picture of nature and its abundance. Here, forest-adjacent communities are proving that saving a globally threatened ecosystem goes hand in hand with creating sustainable livelihoods.