Planned change to Kenya’s forest act threatens vital habitats, say activists

An avocado farm in Kimana, Kenya that critics say obstructs the free movement of wildlife and clashes with traditional land uses. Photograph: AFP/Getty

Environmentalists are deeply concerned by the Kenyan government’s move to allow boundary changes to protected forests, watering down the powers of conservation authorities.

The forest conservation and management (amendment) bill 2021 seeks to delete clause 34(2) from the 2016 act, which makes it mandatory for authorities to veto anyone trying to alter forest boundaries. The same clause protects forests from actions that put rare, threatened or endangered species at risk.