NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – Kenya has stepped up efforts to attract international financing and strategic partnerships for landscape restoration, with the government rallying development partners and private investors to support an ambitious plan to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land by 2032.
The call was made during a Donor Round Table Forum on Landscape Restoration, Green Investment and Forestry Improvement, convened by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the State Department for Forestry.
The forum brought together development partners, diplomatic missions, private sector representatives, research institutions and conservation organizations to explore financing opportunities for forest restoration, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
Speaking at the forum, Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi said restoring degraded ecosystems requires a whole-of-society approach involving government, local communities, development partners and the private sector.
“Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) cover approximately 89 percent of the country’s land mass and hold significant potential for sustainable economic development, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood improvement,” he said.
Mugambi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy (2023–2032), which aims to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded landscapes while supporting Kenya’s target of achieving 30 percent tree cover by 2032.
Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko emphasized that stronger partnerships and increased investment are essential to accelerate restoration efforts and deliver long-term benefits to communities.
He said growing participation by international development partners demonstrates increasing global confidence in Kenya’s forest restoration agenda and its commitment to sustainable forest management and climate action.
Discussions during the forum focused on mobilizing financial re-based enterprises, strengthening community livelihoods and expanding partnerships to rehabilitate degraded dryland and mangrove ecosystems across the country
Participants also underscored the importance of collaboration among government agencies, local communities, research institutions, civil society, development partners and the private sector in transforming degraded landscapes into productive ecosystems that support economic growth, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.
Among the participants were representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Kenya), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), IGAD, Conservation International, UN Migration, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).
