Lari, Kiambu County is in central Kenya, situated near the biologically rich southern Aberdare mountains, the rift valley and designated important bird areas (IBAs). Unfortunately these areas are threatened by charcoal production, the encroachment of agriculture and timber harvesting.
Local youth, aware of these threats, have taken action by founding and managing a group which seeks to conserve their natural environment. Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO) was established in 1994 and partners with a number of organisations including the local government, national and international NGOs, and UN agencies. KENVO uses three main channels to achieve its objectives: a youth empowerment programme, livelihoods initiatives and forest conservation and rehabilitation activities.
The youth mentorship programme has seen more than 200 youths educated and empowered. They learn not only the science behind conservation, but also their responsibility to protect their natural heritage within the global context. Livelihoods initiatives introduce communities to revenue generating activities which don’t negatively impact the forest like eco-tourism, which also brings together and addresses the different needs of stakeholders such as the Kikuyu (farmers) and the Maasai (pastoralists) communities who share water resources in the region.
Planting indigenous tree species rehabilitates degraded areas in addition to mitigating climate change. Restoring forest habitat also aids many globally important bird species which depend on the forest to meet their habitat needs. The Abbot’s starling is one example, which is endemic to forests in Kenya and Tanzania, and is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list of threatened species.
The diverse mix of interventions has only been successfully implemented through the resilient volunteer spirit of the KENVO group, and also the support of various like-minded organizations. Some youth volunteers are aspiring to be the next global leaders, where they hope to make further progress in this field, but for the meantime they are working hard to ensure that the natural resources around them are used sustainably in support of local communities, while also conserving biodiversity.
Blogpost based on input by Nelson N. Muiru
Edited by Sarah Carter
Photo: N. Muiru (KENVO)
