Going forward, you will have to think twice before engaging in any illegality within protected forests. Already, some forests have been fitted with cameras to detect not only illegal activities but also fires.
Drones will be recording the illegalities before sharing them at a centralised location for action. The Kenya Forest Service has adopted the use of latest technology to protect and manage forests resources.
The agency, which has bought 11 drones, has also trained 25 drone pilots.
There are six drone instructors who will continue training a new crop of pilots. KFS says drones will be deployed in hotspots where illegal activities and forest fires are common.
These include in the headquarters at Karura, Mount Kenya, Aberdare, Mau and North Rift. Drones provide high-resolution data and thus have great potential for surveying and monitoring protected forests.
KFS chief conservator Alex Lemarkoko said the service commits to harnessing the power of technology to protect forests and safeguard livelihoods.
Lemarkoko said the service would also use technology to mitigate the impacts of climate change and build forests for future generations to inherit a healthy and resilient environment.
He said over the last 10 years, Kenya has witnessed a sharp rise forest fires, driven, in part, by climate change, human activities and land use practices.
Lemarkoko said the country has been losing an annual average of 37, 000 acres of vegetation to wildfires, resulting in annual economic losses of up to Sh60 billion, excluding ecosystem services.
“Fire incidences are more common in the largest forest blocks in the country that include Mt Kenya, the Mau Forest complex, Aberdares, Mt Elgon and Cherangany hills,” he added.
