The launch event for the project 'Restoring and sustainably managing Cherangany's forest ecosystems for climate change resilience' was held today in Elgeyo Marakwet County. The event was attended by the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Forests of the Republic of Kenya, Deborah Barasa, the Deputy to the Ambassador of Italy in Kenya, Lorenza Gambacorta, and the Acting Director of the Nairobi office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Valeria Buoninfante.
Funded by the Italian government with an investment of €4.5 million and implemented in collaboration with the National environment trust fund (Netfund), the project is a flagship initiative of the Italian climate strategy in Kenya. It directly contributes to the Kenyan government's initiative to plant 15 billion trees by 2032 by supporting the planting and care of 18 million trees over three years in the Cherangany area, one of the country's five key forest ecosystems.
The project will directly impact over a thousand smallholder farmers and indirectly reach about 270 thousand households in West Pokot and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties. The aim is to strengthen forest governance, promote technology and knowledge for environmental restoration, and raise awareness of sustainable forest and water management.
"The project is in line with our shared strategy to combat climate change through concrete actions. These include the creation of the Italian Climate Fund, an innovative financial instrument with a budget of EUR 4.4 billion to finance ambitious climate and environment-related projects in developing countries. To date, it is the largest public climate and environment fund established by a single EU country, concrete proof of Italy's commitment to ecological transition," Gambacorta said. "Our partnership with Kenya is based on three pillars: planet, prosperity and people, and the Cherangany reforestation project embodies all three. The initiative is part of Italy's broader commitment to climate and environmental cooperation with Kenya. It complements the first interventions of the Mattei Plan for Africa in the country through the Italian Climate Fund, worth EUR 225 million.
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