Florence Onyango Humphrey Agevi Ann Irungu
As the world marks World Wetlands Day, attention turns to vast marshes, papyrus swamps, and floodplains. However, the reality is that in many parts of Africa, wetlands tell only part of the story. Their health is inseparable from the forests that feed them, the rivers that connect them, and the communities whose lives are woven through these landscapes.
In western Kenya, where the last remnants of the great Guineo-Congolian rainforest meet the shores of Lake Victoria, this interdependence is especially evident. Here, a quiet but significant climate adaptation story is unfolding. Through the BioCAM4 project–Biodiversity Integration in Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Actions for Planet, People, and Human Health, Kakamega Forest and the wider Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) have emerged as critical case studies. These present insight into how nature-based climate actions can strengthen resilience among vulnerable communities while protecting ecosystems of global importance.
Kakamega Forest: An Ecological Treasure Under Pressure
Kakamega Forest is Kenya’s only remaining tropical rainforest, covering approximately 238 square kilometres. As the easternmost outlier of the Congo Basin forests, it occupies a unique ecological position. Its richness goes far beyond its size: the forest is home to more than 300 bird species and over 400 butterfly species, including at least sixteen bird species found nowhere else in Kenya. This makes Kakamega a biodiversity hotspot of continental significance.
Beyond biodiversity, the forest plays a vital role in sustaining life and livelihoods across western Kenya. It serves as an important water catchment, giving rise to rivers such as the Isiukhu and Yala. These rivers collect tributaries as they flow downstream, supplying water to farms, settlements, wetlands, and ultimately Lake Victoria. Through this natural network, the forest helps regulate water flows, reduce erosion, and sustain ecosystems far beyond its boundaries.
Amidst all these, Kakamega Forest is under mounting pressure. Agricultural encroachment, commercial exploitation, and the growing impacts of climate change continue to erode its integrity. Today, less than ten per cent of the forest’s original cover remains. This loss is not only an environmental concern but a direct threat to water security, wetland health, and climate resilience across the region, making conservation both a local necessity and a global imperative.
The Lake Region Economic Bloc: A Platform for Climate Action
The Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) brings together 14 counties within the Lake Victoria Basin, collectively home to about 40 per cent of Kenya’s population and responsible for nearly half of the national economy. Established in 2018, the bloc represents one of Kenya’s most ambitious regional cooperation frameworks, uniting counties such as Kakamega, Kisumu, Siaya, Busia, Bungoma, and others around shared development and environmental priorities.
Central to the LREB blueprint is the recognition that climate change and environmental degradation are not isolated challenges, but foundational issues for sustainable development. As a result, the bloc has placed growing emphasis on environmental conservation and climate adaptation. Across its member counties, initiatives are underway to increase tree cover, promote soil conservation, protect water towers and riverbanks, and improve access to sustainable water supplies. These efforts combine practical interventions, such as tree seedling production and riparian restoration, with community sensitisation and local stewardship.
The LREB region also includes a range of critical ecosystems beyond Kakamega Forest, including the Mau Forest Complex, Mount Elgon, and the extensive wetlands fringing Lake Victoria. These wetlands provide water for domestic use, irrigation, and industry; supply building materials and medicinal products; support fisheries and biodiversity; and contribute to energy and biomass needs. All of this forms a natural infrastructure that underpins the region’s economy and climate resilience.
Recognising the importance of financing and innovation, the bloc has also sought to mobilise investment around nature-based solutions. In October 2025, LREB hosted its Regional Climate Change and Agri-Expo in Kakamega under the theme “Investing in Climate Solutions: Finance, Innovation, and Action.” The event, marked by a conservation marathon and tree-planting exercise within the Kakamega Tropical Rainforest, symbolised the region’s growing commitment to climate action rooted in ecosystem protection.
BioCAM4: Mapping the Future of Nature-Based Climate Action
The BioCAM4 project brings together over 20 researchers from multiple institutions worldwide to explore a critical question: how can climate action and biodiversity protection be pursued together rather than in isolation? At a time when climate impacts are accelerating and ecosystems are under unprecedented pressure, BioCAM4 seeks to understand how different actors, governments, researchers, communities, and institutions can work collectively to deliver climate solutions that are both effective and just.
To do this, the project focuses on two global biodiversity hotspots: East Africa, including the Lake Victoria Basin, and Central America. These regions are not only rich in ecological diversity but also home to communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change. By grounding its research in such contexts, BioCAM4 moves beyond theory to examine how nature-based climate actions unfold in real landscapes, under real constraints.
Why Kakamega and the LREB Matter to BioCAM4
The Lake Victoria region, and Kakamega in particular, present a compelling case study for BioCAM4’s objectives. It is a landscape where ecological importance and climate vulnerability intersect, and where decisions made today will shape resilience for generations to come.
Climate pressures in the LREB region are already evident. Rising temperatures, increasingly erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and more frequent flooding are placing a growing strain on ecosystems and livelihoods alike. For many smallholder farmers, who rely on marginal land and have limited access to financial or technical support, the capacity to adapt remains constrained. These realities make the region an important setting for understanding both the opportunities and limits of nature-based climate action.
Just as critical is the forest-wetland-climate nexus that defines the Kakamega-Lake Victoria system. When forests such as Kakamega are degraded, soil erosion intensifies, sending sediments downstream into rivers and wetlands. This undermines water quality, reduces fisheries productivity, and weakens the natural climate-regulating functions of wetlands. When forests and wetlands are healthy, however, they operate as a single, reinforcing system, regulating local climates through moisture retention and evapotranspiration, filtering pollutants before they reach Lake Victoria, absorbing floodwaters, storing carbon, and sustaining biodiversity that underpins long-term resilience.
The region also illustrates the importance of multi-actor collaboration, a central theme of BioCAM4’s work. The LREB framework brings together county governments, national agencies, research institutions, and local actors in ways that mirror the project’s emphasis on co-creation and shared responsibility. Partnerships involving county governments, the Kenya Forest Service, the National Environment Management Authority, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, and the Water Resources Authority demonstrate how coordinated governance can support nature-based climate action at scale.
Nature-Based Climate Action in Practice
Across the Kakamega-LREB landscape, these ideas are already taking shape on the ground. Climate-resilient agriculture initiatives are supporting smallholder farmers to adapt to changing climatic conditions while reducing pressure on forests and wetlands. A notable example is the Green Climate Fund-supported programme “Transforming Livelihoods through Climate Resilient, Low Carbon, Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains in the Lake Region Economic Bloc,” a six-year investment of USD 50 million expected to reach over 140,000 farmers through Farmer Field Schools. By focusing on value chains such as dairy, poultry, coffee, tea, fruit trees, and African leafy vegetables, the initiative links climate adaptation with livelihoods and food security.
Efforts to restore and protect forests are also gaining momentum. LREB counties are working closely with the Kenya Forest Service to safeguard Kakamega Forest, including measures to prevent encroachment and rehabilitate degraded areas. Kakamega County’s greening programme, which aims to plant five million trees in schools, riparian zones, and water catchment areas, reflects a growing recognition of forests as critical climate infrastructure.
Wetlands, too, are receiving renewed attention. The papyrus swamps and riverine systems connected to Kakamega Forest play an essential role in water filtration, flood control, and biodiversity conservation. They provide habitat for specialised species such as the sitatunga antelope and numerous endemic fish species, while quietly supporting the ecological balance of the Lake Victoria Basin.
Lessons from BioCAM4: Beyond Nature-Based Solutions
Insights from these landscapes are shaping BioCAM4’s broader contributions to global debates on climate and biodiversity. In a 2025 publication in the Journal of Applied Ecology, the BioCAM4 research consortium called for a shift towards Integrated Nature-Climate Action, arguing that ecosystem-based solutions alone are insufficient to address the systemic drivers of the environmental crisis. As noted by Professor Idil Boran, Principal Investigator of BioCAM4, climate change and biodiversity loss are inseparable challenges, and responding to one without the other risks undermining both.
The research highlights that meaningful climate resilience requires approaches that address climate and biodiversity goals simultaneously, empower local communities and value traditional knowledge, tackle the underlying causes of environmental degradation, and prioritise justice in the distribution of resources and benefits. These lessons resonate strongly in regions like Kakamega and the Lake Victoria Basin, where the future of forests and wetlands is inseparable from the wellbeing of the people who depend on them.
The Road Ahead: Scaling Up Nature-Based Climate Action
The Kakamega Forest-LREB experience within BioCAM4 are lessons that extends far beyond western Kenya. They demonstrate that nature-based climate action works best when it is rooted in real landscapes, shaped by local realities, and supported by systems that enable cooperation across sectors and scales.
For policymakers, this means moving beyond fragmented interventions. Forest and wetland conservation need to be embedded within national and sub-national climate adaptation strategies, not treated as parallel environmental concerns. Regional economic blocs such as the LREB demonstrate the value of cross-county collaboration in managing shared ecosystems, while climate finance must increasingly reach locally led conservation initiatives where impacts are most tangible. At the heart of this approach is the recognition that indigenous and local communities are not just stakeholders, but central decision-makers in shaping resilient futures.
Communities themselves play an equally critical role. Participation in farmer field schools, conservation education programmes, and ecosystem restoration initiatives strengthens local adaptive capacity while reducing pressure on natural resources. Sustainable livelihood options, whether through climate-resilient agriculture, agroforestry, or wetland-friendly enterprises, help align economic wellbeing with environmental stewardship. Just as important is the documentation and sharing of traditional ecological knowledge, alongside continued civic engagement to hold institutions accountable for environmental commitments.
For researchers and practitioners, the path forward lies in deepening evidence while broadening impact. Continued mapping and analysis of nature-based climate actions can help identify what works, where, and under what conditions. Studying the linkages between forests, wetlands, and climate resilience and sharing these insights across regions supports learning that transcends borders. Developing methodologies that capture both ecological outcomes and social benefits is essential if nature-based action is to remain credible, just, and scalable.
A Forest, a Region, a Global Model
Kakamega Forest and the Lake Region Economic Bloc are more than case studies within BioCAM4. They represent a living laboratory for understanding how nature-based climate action can function at scale. The forest’s survival depends on the wetlands it feeds; the wetlands rely on the forest’s protective cover; and both depend on the communities whose lives and livelihoods are intertwined with these ecosystems.
As the world moves toward critical climate negotiations and biodiversity targets, the lessons from Kakamega and the Lake Victoria Basin are clear. Forests and wetlands are not separate from climate action; they are climate action. Protecting and restoring these interconnected systems, while placing communities at the centre, is more of a pathway toward resilience that is both effective and equitable.
The trees of Kakamega Forest have stood for centuries. The wetlands of Lake Victoria have nurtured life for millennia. Through initiatives such as BioCAM4 and the collaborative efforts of the LREB, we now have the knowledge, partnerships, and tools to ensure these ecosystems continue to sustain people and planet for generations to come.
About BioCAM4
BioCAM4-Biodiversity Integration in Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Actions for Planet, People, and Human Health is an international research consortium funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and partners. The project brings together institutions including York University (Canada), the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research, Catie, Radboud University (Netherlands), the Zoological Society of London, the Africa Research and Impact Network, Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration and partners across East Africa and Central America.
Learn more: Website: biocam4.com Latest publication: “Beyond Nature-based Solutions: The Case for Integrated Nature–Climate Action” (Journal of Applied Ecology, 2025)
This blog post was developed using information from the BioCAM4 project website, research publications, and publicly available resources about Kakamega Forest and the Lake Region Economic Bloc.
