1. Background

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21st March as the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012. IDF has been marked all over the world since 2013. The day is celebrated to raise awareness on the importance of all types of forests.  On each IDF, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns. This year’s IDF will be commemorated all over the world on 21^st March 2022 under the “Forests Restoration a Path to Recovery and Wellbeing”. In Kenya it will commemorated in all 47 counties of Kenya.

In Siaya County IDF will be marked with tree planting along River Nyandiwa, Omia Diere Sub location East Asembo Ward, Rarieda Sub County where 3000 bamboo, fruit and indigenous seedlings will be planted along the degraded river.

The IDF is particularly critical for Siaya County, being among the least forested counties in Kenya. Low forest cover, land degradation and climate change have led to a vicious cycle of flooding, droughts, crop and livestock losses and famine. These factors continue to threaten critical ecosystems including the county’s riverine and other wetlands which not only provide important ecosystem, regulatory and direct use services but are also critical biodiversity habitats.

2. ILEG partners with other stakeholders to organize IDF 2022 in Siaya County

Informed by our longstanding work and partnership with national and local stakeholders in Siaya on environment and natural resource governance and conservation work, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) invited ILEG to partner with it in organizing the activities to celebrate this year’s International Day of Forests (IDF) in Siaya County. Indeed, the theme “forests restoration a path to recovery and wellbeing” – blends very well with three of ILEG’s programmes: climate change, water and energy; land, environment and equity; and community development, in particular, community development work under our Chalice Nairobi Site.  

ILEG is therefore partnering with KFS, the County Government of Siaya, and Siaya County Commissioner’s office to organize this year’s IDF celebrations in Siaya. The partnership is supported under the auspices of ILEG’s Land, Environment and Equity; Climate Change, Water and Energy; Community Development; and Chalice Nairobi Site.

3. Adopt and Restore a Landscape Initiative

It is our intention to make this year’s IDF in Siaya County a sustainable success by going beyond the planned awareness-raising and tree-planting on the material day, by exploring ways and means of restoring the highly degraded riverine areas of River Nyandiwa. ILEG will do this within its “Adopt and Restore a Landscape Initiative”. The initiative will bring together key stakeholders, especially the youth, women and local communities, to play a constructive role in sustainable development through continuous landscapes restoration. It will also address global environmental concerns such as climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as support local livelihoods. ILEG will use the IDF as a launching pad for this initiative by adopting the River Nyandiwa riparian.

4. Programme