Kenya mulls ban on logging of indigenous trees

NAIROBI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is considering imposing a complete ban on logging of indigenous trees, a government official said on Monday.

Marion Kamau, chairperson of a government-appointed taskforce on forest management and illegal logging, told a media briefing in Nairobi that illegal logging of indigenous trees, rampant in key forests, is a major threat to forests.

"The logging of indigenous trees such as cedar trees in all forests and the use of cedar products such as fencing posts must be banned," Kamau said when handing over a report on forest activities to Keriako Tobiko, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Environment.

In February, the east African nation imposed a 90-day ban on logging on government and community forests.

Kamau said that destruction of indigenous forests was fuelled by illegal squatters living in forested areas, the changing lifestyle of forest-dwelling communities as well as unclear forest zonation.

Inadequate coordination among the various agencies in the environment and forest sector has resulted in the duplication of roles and inefficient management of forest resources, she added.

Kamau noted that despite the prominence accorded to county governments in the assignment of the forest functions by the constitution, most counties have not signed or operationalized the Transition Implementation Plans (TIPS) to facilitate the transfer of this function.

"This is due to the fact that there have been inadequate efforts to build capacity and allocate resources to undertake this devolved mandate," she said. Enditem