Forest
Landscape Restoration

Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) is the ongoing process of regaining ecological functionality and enhancing human well-being across deforested or degraded forest landscapes. Defined jointly by IUCN and WWF, FLR is far more than planting trees it is restoring a whole landscape to meet present and future needs, delivering multiple benefits across an entire ecosystem over time.

The Mt. Kenya Context — Why FLR Matters

According to the Trillion Trees Initiative, nearly one-fifth of the ecosystem surrounding Mount Kenya has been deforested within the last decade alone. Global Forest Watch satellite data estimates a net annual forest cover loss of approximately 1,200 hectares between 2000 and 2020. The drivers are complex: agricultural expansion, illegal charcoal production, logging, livestock grazing, marijuana cultivation and increasingly destructive forest fires. The forest is not a distant wilderness it is the water source, the climate buffer and the livelihood base for over 3.5 million people. When it degrades, rivers slow, soils erode, crops fail and communities that depend on forest resources are pushed further into poverty. Restoration is not a conservation luxury. It is a human necessity. MKT has been responding to this challenge since 1999. Our approach combines active planting of indigenous trees, support for natural regeneration, riparian restoration, invasive species control, and community stewardship all delivered in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service, 27 Community Forest Associations and thousands of people living at the forest’s edge.

Guiding Principles

FLR works at the landscape scale, recognising that forests do not exist in isolation. They are part of a mosaic of land uses agriculture, settlements, rivers, wildlife corridors and protected areas all of which must be managed together if restoration is to last. At Mount Kenya, this means working across a 2,100km² ecosystem that spans six counties and touches the lives of 3.5 million people of an array of socio-economic activities.

Focus On The Whole Landscape
FLR takes place within and across entire landscapes, not individual sites. Ecological, social and economic priorities are balanced at the landscape scale cross the full 2,100km² Mt. Kenya ecosystem.

Restore Multiple Functions For Multiple Benefits

Restoration aims to recover ecological, social and economic functions simultaneously improving water flow, biodiversity, carbon storage and community livelihoods in a single integrated effort.

Manage Adaptively For Long-term Resilience
MKT’s dedicated Tree Monitors track tree health and growth from planting to maturity, enabling adaptive

Engage Stakeholders And Support Participatory Governance
FLR actively involves all stakeholders including local communities, government agencies, and vulnerable groups in planning, decision-making, benefit-sharing and monitoring.

Maintain And Enhance Natural Ecosystems

Maintain and enhance natural ecosystems FLR does not convert or destroy natural forests. It enhances conservation, recovery and sustainable management, using 100% indigenous species across all MKT planting sites.

Tailored For The Local Context
Every restoration intervention is adapted to local social, cultural, economic and ecological values. MKT draws on scientific knowledge alongside traditional and community knowledge of the Mt. Kenya landscape.