Breaking Down Silos in Sustainable Forest Management and Fostering Interagency Collaboration through the “Adopt a Forest” Initiative in Kenya

Abstract

Forests are vital for sustainable development and provide ecosystem services. The “Adopt a forest” initiative is proposed to tackle deforestation and forest management challenges. This study sought to analyze the implementation of forest adoption in Kenya, seeking to improve understanding and promote it as a solution for sustainable forest management by enhancing interagency collaboration. The study assessed the effects of the adopt-a-forest initiative from 2019 to 2021, focusing on its role in promoting interagency collaboration and its socio-economic and environmental benefits in Kenya. A case study research design and literature review using document-content analysis were used to evaluate secondary data obtained from online sources of government bodies, NGOs, and private sector organizations involved in forest restoration across counties. Case results from Kenya demonstrate that forest adoption encourages interagency collaboration, with 49 agencies collectively adopting 18,386 hectares of public forests and nurturing 742,235 tree seedlings. The initiative has mobilized Kshs. 36,862,788 for restoration. However, uneven collaboration distribution raises concerns about exacerbating regional development disparities and negative equity outcomes. The study enhances understanding of the adopt-a-forest initiative’s impact on interagency collaboration for forest restoration. It identifies socio-economic and environmental benefits, challenges of uneven distribution, informing policy enhancements and advocating for ongoing monitoring. The study’s findings impact forest management policies globally. The adopt-a-forest initiative promotes collaboration and resource mobilization for restoration, addressing deforestation and enhancing ecosystem services. Addressing collaboration disparities is crucial for equitable development, requiring ongoing policy monitoring and refinement.