Global trade in forest products rebounded slightly in 2024 following a sharp decline the previous year, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). However, Kenyan environmentalists warn that renewed logging in critical water towers could jeopardise the country’s long-term ecological and economic stability.
The FAO’s Global Forest Products Facts and Figures 2024 report shows that international trade in wood and paper products grew 1.4% to $486 billion, recovering from a 14% drop in 2023. Production rose across key categories, including industrial roundwood, wood-based panels, and paper, supported by a gradual market recovery in multiple regions.
Kenyan activists caution that this global rebound should not justify logging in fragile ecosystems, particularly the nation’s water towers, which are vital for climate adaptation. “Forests support millions of livelihoods worldwide, and their economic potential, including sustainable wood production, is expected to grow,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said.
The Green Belt Movement and Greenpeace Africa have condemned the government’s decision to lift the logging ban in the Mau Forest Complex, one of Kenya’s five major water towers, warning it could threaten water security, agriculture, and climate stability.
Kenya loses an average of 84,716 hectares of forest annually to deforestation, with an additional 14,934 hectares degraded each year, according to the 2024 Forest Status Report. These losses are estimated to cost the economy around KSh 534 billion (US$4.1 billion) annually through diminished ecosystem services, reduced rainfall, soil erosion, and declining water quality. Environmentalists argue that such losses far outweigh short-term benefits from timber harvesting.
“Forests are not obstacles to development; they are the foundation for water security, food production, and economic resilience,” the Green Belt Movement said, adding that logging in the Mau could destabilise rivers feeding Lake Victoria, Lake Nakuru, and major irrigation systems.
These concerns arise less than two years after the launch of Kenya’s 15 Billion Tree Campaign, aimed at restoring degraded landscapes and increasing tree cover to 10% by 2032, the current coverage stands at roughly 9%.
Although the government insists that logging will be restricted to plantation forests, activists cite past governance challenges, including poor oversight and illegal logging, warning that even harvesting within plantations located in water towers poses serious ecological risks.