Kenya's CO2 Compensation through Afforestation and Reforestation

Project Description
The project Kenya’s CO2 Compensation through Afforestation and Reforestation aims to compensate CO2 and support the local communities with fruits and medicine by planting and raising seedlings.

Current Situation
Kenya has rapidly industrialised and its forest cover has shrunk significantly. Only 3% of its land are now covered by forests. The communities around Laikipia University have not been left behind, cutting down forests for charcoal, timber, firewood, and agricultural lands as economic activities.
This year has seen one of the worst droughts in Kenya, millions going through starvation and millions of cattle, goats, sheep and camels dead. The Ewaso Nyiro North has one of its tributaries originating from the Abardare ranges or Nyandarua ranges which also goes through the famous Lewa conservancy. The River supports millions in northern Kenya which has since become seasonal and at times doesn't flow at all.

Goals, Benefits and Needs of the project
Our project aims to rehabilitate forests destroyed by fire and other human activities in the Laikipia County Marmanet Forest on the eastern slopes of the Great Rift Valley. Our aim is to rehabilitate the 6th sector of the over 100,000 ha of forest.  In doing so, we want to plant 1 million trees over the next 10 years together with our local partners. This means a great deal of CO2 can be stored in the future trees and allows the community to fund their project through CO2 compensation certificates. Life on earth is also positively affected as the forest helps the biodiversity and ecosystem at the plantside.
Furthermore, by including the womens’ group gender equality is promoted as well as economic growth as the harvesting and fostering of the trees creates workplaces and the fruits and medicince can be used as income. Consequently, the trees also help improve the lives and health of the nearby communities.
For example, one of the planted trees is the Croton megalocarpus. It is a fast-growing tree that is termite and drought resistant and can work as wind protection. With its roots it is also conserving the fertile soil and therefore stopping the desertification. Its leaves are used for mulch because of its high nitrogen amount and the croton nuts can be used for biofuel production. Afterwards the waste is used as animal food. The husks can also be used as an organic fertilizer.
Other trees are for example Orea europaea subsp. Africana also known as Wild Olive, where the fruits can be used as food. In total 7 different types of trees are planted. The allocation depends on the soil and community needs.

Stakeholder
The project achieves its goals by prioritizing partnerships with schools, local authorities, and communities by applying tree nursery programs with affordable tree seedlings. The project owner is the local community and the key partners hereby are the GATO Student-Groups, Laikipia University, Nyahururu Main Prison, the Igwamiti Secondary School, and the Vision Women’s Group.