KFS roots for capacity building on forest management

Julius Kamau (L) at a meeting in his office with Forests 2020 Coordinator for Kenya and Ghana Dr. Ruth Malleson (Center), and the MD of Climate and Energy Advisory Stephen Mutimba (PHOTO: Courtesy)

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) is rooting for capacity building on forestry management for the sustainability of innovations under the project 2020.

The Chief Conservator of Forest Julius Kamau noted that aspects such as the creation of forest alerts would go a long way in sustaining infrastructure that will assist in the processing of satellite data and derived information to influence forest conservation and management, as well as policy discourse in the country.

Mr. Kamau held a meeting on Tuesday with the Forests 2020 Coordinator for Kenya and Ghana Dr. Ruth Malleson, and the MD of Climate and Energy Advisory Stephen Mutimba in Nairobi.

Discussions held centered on the progress of partnership between Kenya and Forests 2020 on areas of earth observation forest monitoring, which has been integrated into the service’s national forest monitoring system as a reporting tool on forest dynamics, forest risk mapping, mangrove mapping, and development of near-real-time forest alerts.

The partnership has so far developed forest risk mapping through advanced satellite imagery for the project’s window areas in Kwale, Mt. Elgon, Cherangany, and Laikipia.

“There is a need for building capacity on forestry management aspects such as the creation of forests alerts to ensure the sustainability of the innovations developed under the project beyond 2020,” he said.

“The initiative will sustain the digital infrastructure that will assist in the processing of satellite data and derived information to influence forest conservation and management, as well as policy discourse in the country.”

Through the collaboration, Kenya Forest Service has been able to map and monitor forests at risk from deforestation and degradation and screen the impact of the interventions undertaken. The partnership also aims to enhance accurate assessment of biomass in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), by developing a method of permanent sampling plots (PSPs).

Forests 2020 is a £28 million project part-funded by the UK Space Agency’s International Partnerships Programme (IPP), to help protect and restore up to 300 million hectares of tropical forests by improving forest monitoring in six partner countries namely; Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Ghana and Kenya through advanced use of satellite data.