- It integrates diverse expertise and perspectives to ensure comprehensive and effective biodiversity management.
- The mechanism seeks to align actions to meet Kenya’s national targets and global commitments, including those under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
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Kenya lost 68 per cent of its wildlife populations in savanna ecosystems from 1977 to 2016, according to the National Wildlife Strategy 2030.
The strategy shows there has been a 40 per cent decline in freshwater wetland ecosystems.
It also shows a 7.4 per cent loss of forest cover between 1990 and 2014; a nine per cent decline in insect pollinators; a 74 per cent loss of coral reefs by 1999; and a 90 per cent decrease in Mt Kenya snow cap cover due to climate change.
Other challenges threatening to wipe out the country’s iconic species include habitat loss and degradation; loss of ecosystem connectivity; climate change; human-wildlife conflicts; diseases and loss of genetic viability; and poaching for trophies and bush meat.
Infrastructural development and human encroachment into wildlife areas have also been responsible, among other factors.
To reverse these worrying trends, the country is set to launch a National Biodiversity Coordination Mechanism on Friday.
The mechanism has been designed to strengthen the coordination of biodiversity conservation efforts and facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing.
It also seeks to align actions to meet Kenya’s national targets and global commitments, including those under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
“This landmark initiative illustrates Kenya’s commitment to biodiversity conservation, as enshrined in Chapter 5, Article 6(1) of the Constitution and the Vision 2030 framework, which emphasises sustainable natural resource management for economic growth,” a brief shared by the planners of the event says.
As a committed party to the CBD and other multilateral environmental agreements, Kenya has been working diligently to meet its biodiversity conservation obligations, with the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan driving these efforts.
The newly established NBCM aims to address coordination challenges among various stakeholders, facilitating a consolidated approach to conservation at national, county, and community levels for people and nature.
The NBCM was developed through a consultative process involving representatives from state and non-state sectors, including indigenous people, youth, the private sector, and academia.
It integrates diverse expertise and perspectives to ensure comprehensive and effective biodiversity management.
The mechanism is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and supported by key partners such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya, African Wildlife Foundation, among other key stakeholders.
The NBCM will be governed by a multi-tiered structure consisting of a National Steering Committee, Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and Thematic Working Groups.
The NSC will provide strategic guidance and oversight, the TAC will offer technical advice, and the TWGs will support monitoring and reporting on NBSAP implementation, recently aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The key will be to ensure that the communities that conserve and protect these natural resources benefit.
A dedicated secretariat, under the guidance of the Environment ministry, will ensure effective coordination, and resource mobilisation; benefits to communities are mainstreamed at the household level, and effective monitoring and evaluation and alignment of national efforts with international commitments.
According to the Environment ministry, all stakeholders must actively engage with the NBCM, contributing to a concerted national effort to protect and manage Kenya’s invaluable biodiversity for current and future generations.