Written by John Kabaka 2012-07-18 15:32:00 Read 1781 Times

A University lecturer at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology Professor Mugatsia Tsingalia has urged youth in Kakamega County to plant many trees to benefit from carbon credit trading business.

Dr. Tsingalia has said the carbon credit trading was going to be a big business for people who will plant more trees to absorb large volume of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Large volume of carbon gas released by industries in the developed world has been blamed on climate change which was contributing to food and emerging diseases.

To mitigate the increasing danger, the industrialized countries and environmental organizations have contributed billions of shillings to encourage organizations and individuals in developing countries to plant many trees to clean carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere in an enterprise christened carbon credit trading.

So far some countries and individuals in the world have started benefiting from the big business with a few Kenyans in Mt. Kenya region being the first to enter into the emerging business.

Dr. Tsingalia has hailed the Kenyan Young Greens a youth which has pledged to plant 100 million trees on 700 hectares in Kakamega forest to save it from wanton destruction by timber jerks and neighboring communities.

The groups backed by other youth groups will kick start the three year project by planting 1 million trees by end of this year on the land it has been allocated by the Kenya Forest Service.

Professor Tsingalia has advised the group to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Kenya Forest Service to use the trees they will plant to earn money for its conservation Activities.

The group recently launched the project Mazingira na Amani at the famous Muliro Garden in Kakamega town and promised to use its activity to urge Kenyans maintain peace during and after election.

Ms. Ann Bulimu the chairperson of the group said they will plant trees in the forest and neighboring villages and educate local people on the benefit of carbon credit trading business.

In the mean time the second edition of save the Kakamega Tropical forest Marathon and 10KM road race for men and women will be staged by Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology next month to sensitize the public on the need the protect Kakamega Forest.

A large contingent of profession and amateurs-runners are expected to participate in the two races which have become annual event according to Dr. Tsingalia forest which is part of the larger Equatorial tropical forest from West Africa to East Africa has been under a threat by communities around it for settlement and timber.

The Kenya Young Green visited the forest recently and after seeing the destruction of Kenya's only remaining Tropical rain forest decided to plant trees to save it from further damage to restore its former glory.

This is the biggest gesture ever to be taken by a youth group to save the forest from the region.

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