Like many wildness areas in the world, Mt. Kenya Ecosystem is prone to seasonal forest fires with tremendous effects on the environment and the communities. Ecological, economic and social impacts of the forest fire may be enlisted as: loss of timber, loss of biodiversity, loss of the wildlife habitat, global warming, soil erosion and depletion of soil quality, loss of fuel wood and fodder, damage to water and the other natural resources, loss of natural regeneration, other health problems due to smoke, soil erosion and floods, loss of livelihood for the people living in or near the forest among others. Every year, Mt. Kenya experiences episodes of wild fires during the dry seasons. Most fires on Mt. Kenya are caused by people through arson and honey gathering. Other causes that have been recorded are lightning, grazers, during forest clearing for farming, cigarette butts and charcoal production. Poachers deliberately start forest fires to distract Kenya Wildlife Service personnel from their normal wildlife protection work as they would be deployed to fight fires leaving wildlife vulnerable to poaching. Frequent droughts due to climate change are also contributing to forest fires. The two key government institutions responsible for forest fires management are the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) based on to their legal mandate on the ecosystem. The local communities and other stakeholders benefiting directly or indirectly from the ecosystem should be enlisted in forest fires management- Participatory Forest Fire Management. Effective fire management is constrained by various factors. When fires occur on Mt. Kenya, KWS attempts to bring other actors on board to fight fires. However, lack of proper co ordination and preparedness limits this approach. Other factors limiting effective management of forest fires include:  lack of awareness, lack of adequate and appropriate facilities, lack of training, inadequate personnel, and inadequacy of protection measures.

 

Our approach to forest fire management

 

• To reduce incidences of forest fires we advocate for a Participatory Forest Fire Management Approach involving all stakeholders and including the local communities.

• Creating community institutions and strengthening existing ones to assist in fire management.

• Awareness  campaigns  on effects of forest fires, prevention, detection, communication and suppression targeting local community, schools, general public, government institutions and non state actors

• Increased community based vigilance by appointment of firewatchers during the fire seasons. Community Nature Corps will play a crucial role in this regard.

• Conduct training programs for the local people and other stakeholders to prevent, detect and control forest fires.

• Improve fire suppression capacity by providing appropriate fire fighting equipment including hand tools, fire resistant clothing, GPS, and fire fighting shoes among others.

• Conducting fire preparedness stakeholders’ workshops before the onset of a fire season.

• Play a leadership role in the coordination of various actors in forest fires management.

• Creation of a strong database for: numbers of fires per year, area burnt, and damage caused to flora and fauna, causes of forest fires and all other important information about forest fires.

• Develop community based forest fires management action plans

• Enlist technical and financial assistance required by various stakeholders for forest fire management.