Kenyans Tap Traditional Wisdom to Save Indigenous Trees and Water
Using their traditional knowledge, elders in Cheplanget village began planting water-retaining indigenous trees along a stream’s bare banks and issued local by-laws banning the cutting of bushes and trees along the stream.
As the country looks to rein in rapid deforestation that has threatened water sources and livelihoods, conservationists and officials have hailed the revival of Cheplanget’s essential water source as an example of successful community-led conservation.
By using traditional wisdom to tackle modern-day environmental challenges, such as deforestation and water scarcity, villagers can ensure their efforts are effective and sustainable, environmentalists say.
The indigenous trees along the stream in Cheplanget not only help maintain its water supply but also serve another purpose – the villagers harvest the mature bark to use in traditional medicines, which can be done without cutting down the trees, writes Dominic Kirui for Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Inter Press Service is reporting that East Africa’s endangered sandalwood tree is being illegally harvested at a rate that could see it becoming extinct. The misuse of this valuable resource is causing a loss of biodiversity and a source of medicine for local communities.
The government banned the harvesting and trade of sandalwood in 2007. However, the trees continue to be cut for their essential oil, which is extracted to manufacture medicines and cosmetics.
