“Over the last 10 years, we have commemorated our annual Environment Day, having planted over 21,000 trees to build on the country’s tree cover”/CFM NEWS
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 11 – Ushirika Council has partnered with the Agricultural Society of Kenya to plant over 1,000 trees in commemoration of their Annual Environment Day.
Commissioner for Co-operatives Mary Mungai commended the co-operative movement for weighing in on the environment agenda, urging them to ensure a sustainable enterprise ecosystem that benefits the environment, as the world strives to achieve the Global Goal of Climate Action.
“The co-operative movement in Kenya can contribute significantly to the achievement of the Global Goal on Climate Action. Through the use of renewable energy in construction projects, practicing agroforestry and developing unique ways to recycle waste, the co-operatives help reduce Kenya’s carbon emissions and the adverse effects of climate change,” said Mungai.
On his part, Ushirika Council Chairman Japheth Magomere noted that they have consistently marked the event over the last decade, reiterating the need for members to ensure sustainable consumption and production of goods and services that also positively impacts on the environment.
“Over the last 10 years, we have commemorated our annual Environment Day, having planted over 21,000 trees to build on the country’s tree cover. We urge members to invest in and sensitize the communities around which they operate to practice activities such as recycling, proper waste management and agroforestry,” said Magomere.
According to The Economic Survey 2018 the total forest area consisting of natural and plantation forests increased from the 4.18 million hectares reported in 2016. The government also imposed a three-month logging ban from April 2018 following widespread destruction of trees which drastically reduced the tree cover in the country.
The survey also noted that the area under natural forests increased from 399,400 hectares in 2016 to 4.03 million thousand hectares in 2017 with the total area of government forest plantations increasing from 131.4 thousand hectares in 2016 to 135.1 thousand hectares in 2017, an increase of 2.8 per cent.”
The severe changes in weather patterns and the adverse effects of climate change have necessitated concerted efforts both at the national government and local communities to restore the forest population in the country.
The ban on plastic bags imposed in 2017 in Kenya aligns with the 2018 event’s global theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”, which calls upon industry, communities, and individuals to come together and explore sustainable alternatives and urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic polluting our oceans, damaging marine life and threatening human health.
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