Deforestation in Kenya

Problems

• Causes of deforestation in Kenya

  Kenya faces high deforestation rates, which endangers its fauna and flora. Since Kenya's independence in 1963, forest cover has dropped from 10% of the nation to 6%, losing approximately 12,000 hectares annually. From 2001 to 2022, Kenya lost 375kha of relative tree cover, equivalent to an 11% decrease since 2000.
  
  Some direct causes of deforestation include agricultural expansion, wood extraction, and infrastructure expansion such as road building and urbanization. Trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, so when forests are cleared or disturbed, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. 

• Consequences of deforestation for Kenya's ecosystem

  The impact of deforestation on Kenyan water is particularly notable in Lake Naivasha and its surrounding communities. Lake Naivasha, situated west of Nairobi, relies on water from the Aberdare Range, where rivers and streams originating in the mountains serve as its water source. The forest in the Aberdares mountains plays a crucial role in retaining moisture, maintaining cool temperatures, providing cloud cover, and generating rainfall that nourishes the streams and rivers. 
  
  However, extensive deforestation in the area has disrupted this natural cycle and adversely affected lakes like Naivasha. With the loss of numerous trees in the Aberdares mountains, the forest no longer retains moisture or generates rainfall, resulting in a decline in water levels in Lake Naivasha.
  
  Deforestation in Kenya, particularly in the Mara River basin, has led to soil erosion and a rise in flooding. The loss of forests contributes to land erosion because forests play a crucial role in maintaining vital nutrients in the soil. Over the period from the early '70s to the early 2000s, the savannah, grassland, and shrubland in the Mara River basin decreased by 27%, partly due to a doubling of agricultural land use during the same period. 
  
  Consequently, land erosion has increased in the upper catchment area. At the same time, the lower regions have witnessed a 7% increase in flooding and a staggering 387% expansion of the Mara wetland during the same period of heightened deforestation.
  
  The significant deforestation rates have also resulted in elevated temperatures in Kenya, intensifying malaria transmission risk. Deforestation rates in the western Kenyan highlands directly impact the local temperature and alter the breeding grounds for larvae, thereby increasing their chances of survival and development.