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Fencing of Mau Forest to cost
Sh40m
August 19 2008
DAILY NATION
In Summary
- The fencing will start after
1,962 of the people now living in the controversial forest have
been settled elsewhere.
- An inter-ministerial forum
formed last month agreed to cancel title deeds of illegally
acquired land in the area.
The Government is seeking Sh40
million to erect a fence and prevent further destruction of Mau
Forest.
Environment minister John Michuki said on Tuesday that the 40
kilometre stretch would run along the original boundary of the
forest marked in the 1980s.
The fencing, the minister added, would start after 1,962 of the
people now living in the controversial forest have been settled
elsewhere.
Others in the area have been given notice to leave since the
Government had only identified the 1,962 as bona fide land owners.
“We shall use recycled plastic posts to fence the land. No trees
will be felled in that forest,” said Mr Michuki.
The minister also said that representatives of Rhino Charge, which
has been fencing the Aberdares Forest, had met ministry officials
on Wednesday last week and discussed the new project.
An inter-ministerial forum formed last month agreed, among other
measures, to cancel title deeds of illegally acquired land in the
area.
The squatters were given until October 30 to vacate the forest
land, which will be fenced and boundaries demarcated to ensure a
buffer zone is clearly established for law enforcement.
The 400,000 hectare Mau Complex, of which 25 per cent has been
destroyed, is crucial for water storage and river flow regulation.
It is the largest water catchment area in the country.
At least 12 rivers flow from Mau into Lake Victoria.
Illegal logging, charcoal-making and encroachment are some of the
problems that have beset the forest which helps in holding ground
water, reducing soil erosion, water purification and micro-climate
regulation.
Link:
See also
here (
http://www.ogiek.org/indepth/cui-bono.htm )
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