Kenya's Tree Cover Faces Ongoing Threats: A Look at the Impact of Shifting Agriculture and Urbanization

Kenya's Tree Cover Faces Ongoing Threats: A Look at the Impact of Shifting Agriculture and Urbanization

Kenya, a country with an area of over 58 million hectares, has been grappling with significant tree cover loss over the past two decades. The tree cover extent, which stands at approximately 3.30 million hectares, has seen a net decrease of nearly 286,000 hectares, marking a 5.99% change in tree cover. This loss is primarily attributed to shifting agriculture, which accounts for a substantial portion of the tree cover loss, followed by forestry, urbanization, and wildfires.

Shifting agriculture alone has led to a loss of over 14,000 hectares annually, on average, contributing to the majority of the tree cover loss in Kenya. Urbanization, though less significant in comparison, has also had a notable impact, with an average annual loss of around 400 hectares. Wildfires, while contributing to a smaller fraction of the loss, still pose a recurring threat to Kenya's tree cover, as evidenced by the latest incident in Marsabit County.