By Albert Mwangeka
Taita Taveta, Kenya:The World Environment day was marked with pomp and color at Taita Taveta County in conjunction with Salt Lick Safari Lodge. The teams from the County and the staff from Salt Lick Lodge embarked on a spree of planting 2,500 trees around the Lodge, which is part of the larger Tsavo National Park ecosystem.
Grantone Mwandawiro, the County Executive Committee Member for Water, Sanitation, Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, emphasized the importance of collaboration in environmental conservation and set an ambitious goal for each county resident to plant at least 100,000 trees annually for the next decade. The County Government aims to plant 36 million trees annually, with an ambitious goal of planting 360 million trees over the next decade.
Trees play a crucial role in reversing climate change through carbon sequestration, a process where they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their biomass. This not only helps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere but also contributes to carbon offset, a practice that involves compensating for carbon dioxide emissions by investing in projects that reduce these emissions elsewhere.
Alfred Mwanake, CEO of the Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (TTWCA), announced a potential collaboration with the County Government and Absa to grow 1 million trees. He encouraged women and youths to establish nurseries as a source of seedlings, which could also boost their livelihoods.
George Oyoo, Director of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), assured a sustained partnership to ensure the planted seedlings are nurtured to maturity.
Sanjeev Kumar, General Manager of the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, highlighted their practice of involving guests in carbon offset initiatives. The sanctuary has three reforestation sites where guests are encouraged to plant trees. The sanctuary then takes care of these trees and updates the guests on their growth and contribution to carbon offset.
The tree planting initiative aligns with Governor Andrew Madime’s manifesto, which emphasizes the importance of promoting environmental conservation within a sustainable framework. This event underscores the cardinal role everyone has in protecting nature.
