During a three-minute presentation at the High-Level Segment of COP 16 for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia, the Kenyan Delegation, led by Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Festus Ng’eno, expressed Kenya’s support for the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
Kenya, after conducting a rapid baseline data assessment of its national targets, submitted these targets to the secretariat. The head of the delegation stated, “We are currently developing a resource mobilization strategy to support effective implementation of the plan. Further, we are conducting a review of the biodiversity related policies, institutions and monitoring systems to ensure coherence with KMGBF.”
Although Kenya has not yet submitted its National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP), Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno emphasized that the country is integrating biodiversity considerations across various sectors. This effort is guided by Target 14 and aligns the NBSAP with the overarching goals of the KMGBF.
In a related development, Kenya welcomed the decision to designate the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) as the host for the sub-regional technical and scientific cooperation support center. The center will facilitate knowledge exchange, research, and the dissemination of environmentally friendly technologies within the region and beyond.
Moreover, Kenya has adopted a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach through an ambitious national tree program aimed at planting 15 billion trees as part of its Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy. This initiative seeks to restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded land by 2032, aligning with Targets 2 and 3 of the KMGBF, which aim to restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.
(This story was produced as part of the 2024 CBD COP 16 Fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.)
