This project ‘Indigenous Biodiversity Conservation through Bamboo Afforestation: Protecting Chemorir River Wetlands in Mount Elgon for Climate Change Mitigation’ is part of our University Greening Initiatives that target the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through Climate Action (SDG 13) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 towards Environmentally Sustainable and Climate Resilient Economies and Communities (Aspiration 1 Goal 7). 

Mount Elgon is a major water tower in Bungoma County on the Kenya-Uganda Border. This montane ecosystem is rich in biodiversity comprising of a wide range of flora and fauna. Mount Elgon National Park in this ecosystem is an interesting tourism and wildlife site hosting beautiful animals such as elephants, buffalos, antelopes, primates and birds among other organisms. However, the Mt. Elgon ecosystem has been undergoing rapid degradation through unsustainable anthropogenic activities including human settlement encroachment, destructive agricultural practices, overgrazing, logging and charcoal burning. Such activities have been associated with land degradation and drying of rivers and streams, accelerating vulnerability of life below water (SDG 14) and life on land (SDG 15) to the negative effects of climate change. Destruction of indigenous vegetation that fixes carbon dioxide and excess moisture through photosynthesis increases the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. Human-human and human-wildlife conflicts have been on the rise due to reduction of indigenous food plants for the herbivores.

The project will involve setting up of Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) multiplication seedbeds and tree planting events along the Chemorir River Wetlands in Mt. Elgon. These activities will be extended to other wetlands and indigenous trees. This project will contribute towards the National Tree Growing Restoration Campaign that targets 15 billion trees by the year 2032.   

Kenya Forest Service  Kenya Wildlife Service