Taita Taveta County government has planted 10,000 seedlings on riparian land in Lake Jipe, located 30km off the border town of Taveta.
Speaking during the tree-planting event, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua committed 15,000 seedlings to support biodiversity regeneration.
The county hopes to reverse the effects of climate change and ensure biodiversity conservation for future generations.
Grantone Mwandawiro, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Water, Sanitation, Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, acknowledged the impact of climate change, which has reduced Lake Jipe's water levels.
On her part, Gertrude Shuwe, the CECM in charge of Trade, Tourism, Culture, and Industrialization, highlighted the symbiotic relationship between conservation and tourism.
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She noted that conservation efforts, such as this tree-planting initiative, contribute to increasing wildlife populations, which in turn boosts tourism.
Lake Jipe is known for its rich population of hippos and elephants.
This comes a few days after Taita Taveta County unveiled a Kes 2 million roadside tree planting campaign to cover 275 kilometers of Voi-Taveta-Holili-Arusha Road as part of its climate action.
According to Taita Taveta County Governor Andrew Mwadime, his administration will work with Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) as landscape restoration efforts.
Speaking during the launch on Wednesday in the Mwatate sub-county, he urged the youth to embrace the initiative to ensure its success.
“This initiative will not only beautify our highways but also position our county as a global tourist destination, and be emulated by other counties.”
“Youths ought to take with seriousness the project and take ownership… in maintaining and watering, ultimately growing, the seedlings to maturity,” he added.
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