Our thoughts are with the Nature Kenya staff and the people with them when a fact-finding mission to the threatened Dakatcha woodlands was disrupted by an armed group. Only the presence of Kenya Wildlife Service personnel ensured that the incident didn’t escalate further. You can read an account of the visit here.
At issue is the fate of 50,000 ha of woodland that includes an Important Bird Area and is one of Kenya’s most significant areas for biodiversity. The threat it faces is clearance and planting with Jatropha – a crop that is grown for bio-fuel. Here’s my friend and colleague, Dr Julius Arinaitwe, setting the scene on biofuels in Kenya and explaining why it is the wrong option for the Dakatcha woodlands.
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