Economic Analysis of Forest Landscape Restoration Options in Kenya
Ministry of Environment Climate Change and Forestry
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Abstract: Forest and land degradation is a serious global problem worldwide, particularly in developing countries experiencing high population growth and unemployment rates. It is estimated that at global level between 1 billion to over 6 billion ha of the forest landscapes are degraded. The main cause of degradation is through conversions of forests to alternative land uses that has impacted negatively on productivity and diminished the flow of products and services for human well-being. Forest landscape restoration received global endorsement for collective actions to restore health and vitality of degraded landscapes. The decision was informed by the fact that continued environmental degradation will have long term impacts on the overall human wellbeing hence the need to undertake some initiatives to address and minimize the impacts. Through the Bonn Challenge the global community has pledged to restore 150 million hectares of the world?s deforested and degraded land by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030 (www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge). Underlying the Bonn Challenge is the Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) approach, which aims to restore ecological integrity and improve human well-being through multifunctional landscapes. The Bonn Challenge is a practical method of realizing many existing international commitments, including the CBD Aichi Target 15, the UNFCCC REDD+ goal, and the Rio+20 land degradation neutrality goal. As part of its contribution to the global effort to mitigate climate change, the Africa Continent through AFRA A100 pledged 100 million hectares. Kenyan government has pledged to restoration and reforestation of 5.1 million hectares by 2030 as part of its commitment to global Forest Landscape restoration. However, forest restoration involves investments whereas the costs and benefits of undertaking such massive project are yet to be defined in monetary terms. However, forest restoration involves investments and the costs and benefits of massive planned landscape restorations are yet to be defined in monetary terms. Therefore, access on likely costs and benefits of restoration efforts is crucial to inform all stakeholders on the best bet for achieving restoration goals. To address the data and information gaps, it is critical to quantify the likely benefits and costs of various interventions over wide range of landscapes. Economic analysis will help justify and support resource mobilization for the national forest landscape restoration targets. In addition, the analysis will quantify and identify the best options for achieving both short and long term benefits to landowners and stakeholders at national, regional and global levels. To contribute to Kenya government commitments to the Bonn Challenge and to actualize the national restoration strategy, economic analysis of restoration options was mooted to provide a comprehensive report. Economic analysis was grounded on ?Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology? whose key analytical tool is the ?Restoration Economic Modelling and Valuation?. The economic analysis relied on seven (broad categories of forest landscape restoration opportunities) identified in the National Assessment of Forest and Landscape Restoration Opportunities Technical Report (MENR, 2016) namely: Afforestation or reforestation of degraded natural forests, Rehabilitation of degraded natural forests, Agroforestry in cropland, Commercial tree and bamboo growing on potentially marginal cropland and un-stocked forest plantation forests, Tree-based buffer zones along water bodies and wetlands, Tree-based buffer zones along roads and restoration of degraded rangelands). Based on these broad categories of restoration opportunities twelve specific interventions/options were identified and subjected to economic analysis. The twelve interventions are: Degraded natural forest to improved natural forest through enrichment planting, Degraded forest to Improved Natural regeneration with protection, Traditional Agriculture (Maize farming) to Intensive Agroforestry Maize, Grevillea, Avocado Fruit, Traditional Agriculture (Cowpeas Farming) to Intensive Agroforestry with Melia, Poorly managed woodlots to improved and well-managed Eucalyptus woodlots, Degraded woodlands to commercial Gmelina arborea plantations, Degraded planted forests to commercial bamboo plantations, Un-stocked plantations to fully stocked cypress plantations, Degraded riparian zones to bamboo and grass strip buffer, Degraded grasslands to grass reseeding and Degraded grassland to Silvo-pastoral system grass reseeding and acacia woodlands.