Inter-Agency Aggreement with U.S. Forest Service - Environment

This USAID Inter-Agency Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service will advance U.S. government technical assistance to support improved natural resource management. Kenya's five major Water Towers - Mau Forest Complex, Mt. Kenya, Aberdares, Cherangani Hills, and Mt.

Elgon - provide an estimated 75 percent of the country's water resources and are central to Kenya's economic and social well-being.

Despite their critical importance, the Water Tower ecosystems have been seriously degraded and continue to be negatively impacted by a number of activities, including ill-planned settlements, overgrazing, uncontrolled and illegal forest resource extraction, and the conversion of forest land to agriculture.

The purpose of this activity is to reverse the effects of forests degradation; and to halt a growing water crisis, the loss of biodiversity and to decrease carbon emissions from land use change.