Environmentalists in Garissa County have called for tree cover restoration programmes for Balambala and Lagdera sub counties in Garissa that are worst hit by cycles of drought and floods.
Speaking during the celebrations to mark World Environment day in Modogashe town, Garissa CEC for County Affairs Sahra Musa, who was the chief guest during the event said that she would mobilize donor partners under her docket to partner with the county government on community livelihood restoration programme.
She urged the locals to refrain from environmental degradation activities that she said will worsen the already threatened ecosystem due to climate change which has severely affected the local pastoralist communities.
“We need to get rid of habits like charcoal burning and using firewood for fuel and develop a tree planting culture which will help us mitigate the devastating effects of climate change,” Sahra said.
Dennis Amakanji, Senior Forester with Kenya Forestry Research Institute said their organization was ready to support community groups and school teachers on proper or best tree planting practices to support the countrywide presidential campaign on tree planting.
Garissa County Director for Environment Mulki Mohamed on her part noted that climate change is pushing communities to poverty especially pastoralists whose livestock continue to die in millions due to recurring droughts.
Mulki called for concerted efforts from both the national and county governments and donor partners to restore the affected livelihoods for both livestock and crop farmers.
“Climate change is real in this situation where a combined disaster of floods and drought were reducing the local communities into extreme poverty. We call for combined measures of restoration and mitigation to be put in place,” Mulki said.
She cautioned the community against rampant bush fires that she said was destroying the swathe of pasture land that would have served as pasture reserves during the emergency of drought.
Abdikadir Aden, who is leading a ‘one million tree’ programme called on the government and donor partners to put more efforts on environmental conservation that he said will help to reduce the extreme challenges of climate change.
He also echoed the need to enforce campaigns against environmental degradation and efforts to empower local conservation groups.
By Erick Kyalo
