Peak to Peak

UNEP to implement EUR 2.3 million project rehabilitating the water towers of Kenya

29.02.2012

Issue 49 - Month 02 - Year 2012

A new three-year intervention to rehabilitate the Northern Mau Forest at the cost of EUR 2.3 million is set to deliver multiple benefits for Kenya and the region

The Mau Forest isn’t just the largest mountain forest in Kenya. It is the largest in all of Eastern Africa. In Kenya, it is also the largest water catchment area, meaning it is the habit that collects the most rainwater. The strategic importance of the Mau Forest lies in the ecosystem services it provides to Kenya and the region, including river flow regulation, flood mitigation, water storage, reduced soil erosion, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, carbon reservoir and microclimate regulation. It forms the largest closed-canopy forest ecosystem and covers over 400,000 hectares. The project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Kenyan Government and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), aims to support the rehabilitation of the Mau forest ecosystem and to create a sustainable basis for its long-term conservation and management.