Kenya may be a leader in landscape scale integrated management, but challenges remain, says an article on the blog of the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature initiative.

The article highlights challenges relating to poor land use planning which has led to rural areas being converted to urban centres, creating human-wildlife conflict. Inappropriate land use is also threatening ecosystems, as Verrah Otiende, a scientist from the World Agroforestry Centre explained during the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature in Africa conference.

In Embu, Eastern Kenya, investors are funding farmers to grow Eucalyptus species that are not suited to the local environment, says Otiende. Despite being fast growing and producing quality timber, the trees consume high amounts of water have the ability to dry wetlands.

In other areas of the country, promising examples of integrated landscape management exist, such as in Lake Naivasha where a stakeholder organization helps to manage landscapes in the area. In Laikipia, the county government is working hand in hand with the community and civil society organizations to ensure that the landscape is well managed.

The World Agroforestry Centre together with EcoAgriculture partners and the Government of Kenya are working towards improving the policy and institutional framework for Integrated Landscape Management in Kenya based on the needs of communities. They are implementing a rural institutions project in several districts.

Read the full story: Urbanization Poses Risks to Integrated Landscapes in Kenya