Deforestation in Kenya: Why Losing Our Forests Should Concern Everyone
Kenya has spent years encouraging people to plant trees, and that's a good thing. Schools, companies, community groups and individuals have embraced the idea that increasing tree cover is everyone's responsibility. Millions of seedlings have gone into the ground, and many more will continue to be planted. Those efforts deserve recognition. What deserves equal attention, however, is protecting the forests that are already standing. Some of the trees being cut today have been part of Kenya's landscape for generations. They have survived changing governments, changing climates and changing communities. They protect rivers, support wildlife, store carbon and help regulate weather patterns in ways that a newly planted seedling simply cannot. When a mature forest disappears, planting another tree somewhere else doesn't erase that loss. This is where many conversations about conservation lose direction. Tree planting becomes the headline while forest protection becomes an afte...