3.4% of areas of degraded forests
7.7% of areas of degraded Agro-ecosystems
13.4% of areas of degraded rangelands
1.3% of areas of degraded wetlands and water towers
0.03% of areas of degraded marine ecosystems and mangrove
1.5% of areas of urban areas and settlements
Most land in Kenya consists of rangelands characterized by grasslands and woodlands. According to data, tropical and subtropical grasslands, forests and inland waters are hotspots for irrecoverable carbon and their restoration will ensure continued and maintained provision of ecosystem services and functions. For instance, maintaining the ecological integrity of mangroves in Lamu enhances the resilience of these ecosystems and ensures their sustainable use by local communities. In addition, restoration can help restore the connectivity between fragmented ecosystems, helping to maintain genetic diversity.
Kenya has set ambitious national landscape and ecosystem restoration goals to restore 10.6 million ha of degraded land by 2030. Several strategies have been developed to guide and inform restoration such as the National Wetland Restoration Strategy, which contributes to international commitments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)which includes Aichi Target 15, and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
Achieving the national target for ecosystem restoration will require additional financial, human, and technical resources. Possible funding sources include grants, private sector investments, and collaborations with development partners and international organizations supporting restoration initiatives in alignment with the national priorities as well as the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021 - 2030).