Given the current state of the forestry sector in Kenya, unless changes in regulatory mechanisms such as legislation and policy are put in place in good time, a lot of the remaining forests will disappear due to unsustainable wood extraction and land-use change in favor of agriculture. In view of the critical importance of the role of indigenous forests in soil and water conservation, biodiversity conservation and contribution to the country’s socio-economic development, it is imperative that the current destructive trend should be reversed. Plantation forestry and farm forestry must contribute largely in the future supply of wood. Valorization and commercialization of non-wood forest products will stimulate the people to manage the forest resources appropriately.
Key-words:
Kenya, non-wood forest products, paper, charcoal, fuel wood, land tenure rights, forest, plantations, farm forestry
