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March 7, 2024
Community Alliance For Support Initiative recognizes the importance of collaborative efforts to achieve a 15% forest cover in Kenya.
The organization operates in five counties – Nairobi, Kisumu, Migori, Homabay, and Nyamira – and focuses on afforestation, reforestation, community involvement, education, policy, legal frameworks, research, partnerships, monitoring, enforcement, and financial incentives.
Afforestation involves planting trees in areas lacking significant cover, and carefully selecting species adapted to local conditions.
Community engagement is essential, fostering a sense of ownership and ensuring local needs align with project goals. Reforestation targets areas degraded by logging or wildfires, restoring ecological balance and providing economic opportunities for communities.
Community involvement and education play key roles in sustainable development. Strategies include participatory decision-making, skill development, employment opportunities, and collaborative implementation. Acknowledging indigenous knowledge and implementing community-based monitoring enhance project transparency and success.
A robust policy and legal framework are vital. The policy should include strategic planning, intersectoral integration, research and innovation, and community-based approaches. Legal aspects should address land tenure, regulatory compliance, private sector engagement, international cooperation, protection of indigenous rights, ecosystem restoration legislation, legal redress mechanisms, and institutional coordination.
Research and innovation focus on ecological research, climate-resilient species, sustainable land management, remote sensing technologies, carbon sequestration, genetic research, restoration ecology, soil health studies, and adaptive management research. Partnerships and collaboration involve governments, communities, NGOs, private enterprises, and international cooperation, ensuring a holistic approach.
COMASI believes in afforestation
We will forever push for afforestation
Monitoring and enforcement utilize satellite imagery, GIS, and community-based monitoring to track progress and address issues like illegal logging. Financial incentives, such as direct support, tax incentives, payment for ecosystem services, and carbon credits, drive participation and commitment.
Ultimately, achieving a 15% forest cover brings numerous benefits, supporting biodiversity, climate regulation, ecosystem services, economic development, resilience against natural disasters, cultural values, and global sustainability goals. It represents a significant step towards a resilient environment and a sustainable future.
On other fronts, Lake Victoria as the world’s largest freshwater fishery raking in $600 million each year, is silently dying, millions continue to depend on it for freshwater and income, putting them at risk of being plunged further into disease and poverty. This freshwater body also supports over 40 million people and as such, it is important to preserve its purity.
COMASI intends to establish projects around the recycling and conservation of rivers and riparian lands. Key activities shall include; installing waste trappers on river channels to trap plastic and pollutant debris, beekeeping for extra household incomes, planting bamboo as cover crops on river banks to reduce erosion, and dependency on cutting trees for timber.