Kakamega Forest revival: forest rehabilitation and efficient cookstoves

Eco2librium’s project story begins in the communities surrounding the Kakamega Forest, Kenya’s only tropical rainforest and one of the country’s most important biodiversity hotspots. Over the years, increasing demand for fuelwood, agricultural expansion, and unsustainable harvesting have placed immense pressure on the forest, leading to degradation, biodiversity loss, and declining ecosystem health. At the same time, many rural households continue to depend directly on the forest for daily energy and livelihoods.

Recognising that conservation cannot succeed without community involvement, Eco2librium developed a locally driven restoration approach that combines forest rehabilitation, tree planting, and clean energy access. Working closely with community forest associations, local farmers, research institutions, and the Kenya Forest Service, we support enrichment planting within degraded sections of Kakamega Forest while also promoting tree planting on farms and surrounding landscapes.

Our work goes beyond planting trees. We reduce pressure on forests by distributing energy-efficient cookstoves that lower household firewood consumption, helping communities meet their energy needs sustainably while protecting natural ecosystems. Through this integrated model, communities become active custodians of restoration efforts rather than passive beneficiaries.

Today, Eco2librium has contributed to approximately 1 million tonnes of CO₂ emission reductions through its cookstove programme and has earmarked 2,000 hectares within the Kakamega Forest landscape for restoration activities. Our vision is to restore ecosystems, strengthen biodiversity, improve rural livelihoods, and build a long-term, community-led model for climate resilience and forest conservation in Western Kenya.