Mau Forest Rehabilitation programme

The Mau Forest Complex sits within Kenya’s Rift Valley and is the largest indigenous montane forest in East Africa supporting livelihoods of many people living both inside and outside the forest. Ogiek community for example is an indigenous community which lives in the forest has been surviving solely on forest products for years. River Mara, Njoro and Molo which all originate from the forest supply water to Maasai Mara game reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park and Lake Baringo respectively,  all which are important ecosystems for wildlife and tourism. Some of the rivers feeding Lake Victoria also originate from the forest.

Despite these and many other ecological, economic and social benefits, the forest system has been hugely destroyed as a result of degazettement, human encroachment, illegal logging, fires and overharvesting. This has led to the destruction of over 100,000 Ha since the year 2000, representing more than one-quarter of the Mau Forest Complex’s area.

To reverse this unpleasant trend, Scope Intervention has made significant strides. We started our work in 2015 by adopting 100 Ha of the degraded forest land in partnership with Kenya Forest Service and the local community for rehabilitation. Our adoption involves planting of the trees in the deforested areas and protecting them from animal and other form of destruction until they are able to survive on their own. So far, we have rehabilitated 70 Ha and we are hoping to do more in the coming years.