Special
Kenya
KENYA PROVES THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SQUANDER YOUR ASSETS
We’ve known for a long time that Africa has a large storeroom with by far the most charming wood sorts on the planet. Obviously, this knowledge added an extra dimension to a trip to the ‘Horn of Africa’ for the editor of this trade journal. We can now launch a new album under the title ‘Floor Forum in Kenya’. Was the journey fruitless? In terms of forests it certainly was, or at least what is left of them. Against a background of reckless abuse of raw materials, the country is permeated with terrorism, criminality, poverty, and a population explosion which exceeds economic growth. Taking photographs is more or less prohibited.
Geography Kenya lies on the equator and has a surface area of 582,646km². The country has a border with Ethiopia (830km) and Sudan (232km) in the north, Somalia (682km) and the Indian Ocean to the east, Uganda (933km) and Lake Victoria to the west, and Tanzania (769 km) in the south. There is a series of coral reefs and a number of islands off the occasionally jagged coastline, including the Lama archipelago and Mandu. From the coastline, which is up to 200km wide and 150m long, the country gradually ascends towards a parallel located plateau between 150 and 300 metres high. In the north and north-west this merges into an upland plain (300 to 1500 metres high). This is part
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of the East African plateau, which runs in the south-west into the Kenya Highlands (1500 to 3000m high). The Highlands are dissected in a northern-southern direction by the East African Plain, which is a branch of the north to south running Great African Plain or Great Rift Valley. This valley lies 600 to 900m lower than the surrounding area and is flanked by high volcanoes. Near Lake Naivasha the plain lies about 2000 metres above sea level. Here we also find the second highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kenya (5199 metres). This area is the most fertile part of the country and the lower-lying parts of the mountains are used intensively for agriculture. This valley hosts a number of lakes, including Lake Rudolf, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Magadi, which are all largely within the territory of Kenya between the two valleys. The west of Kenya consists of an undulating hilly landscape which stretches from the Sudanese border in the north to Tanzania in the south.
Economy Kenya has a more modern economy than other East African countries. However, the disappointing economic growth is a major problem. Average annual growth is a mere 2% as opposed to population growth of around 4% (in 2017 this was 5%). This is due to the stunted agricultural production and the unfavourable results of an industrialisation policy which was geared to curbing imports. The country is heavily
