Up-Scaling Sustainable Commercial Production of Medicinal Plants by Community-based Conservation Groups at Kakamega Forest in Kenya

The Kakamega Forest Reserve is the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. The forest provides a unique sanctuary for a remarkable diversity of endemic plants, birds and insects not found anywhere else in Kenya. Over 380 species of plants have been identified to date in Kakamega Forest. It is also an important watershed for some of the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria. Due to the high levels of poverty, the community living adjacent to Kakamega forest has depended to a great extent on forest resources for daily needs and income that is derived from various forest products such as timber, fuelwood, herbal medicines and building materials.