A church forest located at Giosoya, Kenya.
Conservation and improvement of church forest cover
by Diana Magwari • 12 May 2022
In view of how a ministry leader whom we interviewed in Nyakach emphasized the importance of tree-planting sprees, we have become interested in learning more about forests.
There has been a rapid population increase in Kenya. Much of Kenyan forestland has therefore been sacrificed to agriculture in order to feed the fast-rising population. Deforestation was highest in the early 2000s, when the country was experiencing economic growth, better healthcare and education. A lot of land, including land belonging to churches, was distributed to individuals and promptly converted into farmland.
The Orthodox churches are among the churches which had the largest tracts of land and where trees had been planted with the church right at the heart of the forest. They view the forest as a symbol of heaven on the earth, where every creature is a gift from God and needs its habitat. The Orthodox Church through its leadership stood its ground and choose to protect its forests during this period when land was being distributed. They wrote to the authorities insisting on the significance of the forests to the church and to the surrounding communities. Ultimately they succeeded in their efforts to protect their forests and today they own the most beautiful church forests with a variety of trees, mainly indigenous.
The majority of the Kenyan population lives in rural areas, and of course growing food is necessary. But the Orthodox Church believes that productivity can be increased by using technologies rather than expanding farmland. Although reforestation is a thing in Kenya, in many areas monocultures of eucalyptus have been planted which need much more water than indigenous trees.
The Orthodox Church believes in forest biodiversity. Forest biodiversity is also important for agriculture because of the many birds and insects that populate the church woods which aid pollination of crops and pest control. These forests host evergreen trees, shrubs and flowering plants. For priests and local populations, they provide shelter for buildings, space for prayer and burial areas.
To ensure the total protection of these forests, the church communities have built protective stone walls around the forests to save them from any damage. The other churches that lost land during the 2000s now regret letting their land go, as they realize that they could today be having a similar scenery as the Orthodox churches.
Church forests contribute substantially to landscape restoration and conservation of endangered indigenous tree species, as well as other aspects of biodiversity. However, the environmental and economic benefits of many church forests are declining due to a combination of economic, environmental and cultural factors.
I have been able to interview Mrs Nyauncho, the chairlady to Gesura church. She says that on the need to manage and conserve church forests and enhance the ecosystem services from existing church forests, the management and conservation of church forests should be supported by the majority of the households who own land adjacent to the church forests. This could be attributed to the fact that proper management and conservation of church forests ensures the protection of farm plots from the interference of livestock and associated crop damage.
According to Mrs Nyauncho, church forests are valuable as an integral part of ecosystem from the commercial point of view and it acts as a shelter for wildlife. The forests provide the raw materials for over 5000 products worth about 23 million dollars. In this way, church forests support industries which employ 1.3 million people. Furthermore, church forests are habitats of severalspecies of plants and animals. Mrs Nyauncho notes that destruction or loss of forests by fire is fairly common, because trees are highly exposed to fire and once started it becomes difficult to control. She suggests that in order to save forests from fire, it is necessary to adopt the latest techniques for fire fighting. By spraying fire retardant chemicals and water, it will be easier to control fire.
Mrs Nyauncho emphasizes tree planting sprees, reforestation and afforestation as important for conserving and improving forest cover. It is always dictated that whenever timber is removed, the denuded area must be reforested. She notes that different programs of afforestation should be started. New plantations will not only increase the forest cover, but also help the local economy. The selection of trees should be done according to local geographical conditions and care must be taken during initial growth.
Mrs Nyauncho says that church members, especially the youth, should always participate in the protection of church forests. She notes that apart from commercial cutting, unorganised grazing is also one of the reason for several forest diseases resulting from viruses and nematodes which lead to destruction of trees. She says that the church forest should always be protected either by use of chemical spray or by the development of disease resistant strains of trees. She notes that the church forest cover is one of the areas of development in the country.
Additionally, she says that church forests could be used as a tourist centre, whereby the country could earn substantial foreign exchange, similar to national parks and game reserves. She suggests that members of different churches should join hands together to ensure that church forests are well conserved and improved.
Next: Raising a Radical Generation through Interdenominational Ministry in Kisii Town, by Eric Bosire.
About the author:
Diana Magwari is a Kenya based journalist who comments on topical issues.
About the image:
The photo was taken 2 April 2022 by Diana Magwari. The location is at Giosoya off
the newly constructed Misambi-Ekerenyo road.
Suggested citation:
Diana Magwari: Conservation and improvement of church forest cover. MissionField News (ISSN 2813-2270)
https://missionfield.news/2022/6_Church_forests
2022-05-12.