Environmental issues in Kenya include deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, water shortage and degraded water quality, poaching, and domestic and industrial pollution. Water resources are under pressure from agricultural chemicals and urban and industrial wastes, as well as from use for hydroelectric power. Kenya expects a shortage of water to pose a problem in the coming years. Water-quality problems in lakes, including water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria, have contributed to a substantial decline in fishing output and endangered fish species. Output from forestry also has declined because of resource degradation. Overexploitation over the past three decades has reduced the country’s timber resources by one-half. At present only 2% of the land remains forested, and an estimated 50 square kilometres of forest are lost each year. This loss of forest aggravates erosion, the silting of dams and flooding, and the loss of biodiversity. Among the endangered forests are Kakamega Forest, Mau Forest and Karura Forest. In response to ecological disruption, activists have pressed with some success for policies that encourage sustainable resource use. The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize went to the Kenyan environmentalist, Wangari Maathai, best known for organizing a grassroots movement in which thousands of people were mobilized over the years to plant 30 million trees in Kenya and elsewhere and to protest forest clearance for luxury development. Imprisoned as an opponent of Moi, Maathai linked deforestation with the plight of rural women, who are forced to spend untold hours in search of scarce firewood and water. Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land use such as arable land, urban use, logged area or wasteland. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as understood by materials science, see Erosion (materials science) For erosion as an English analogy, see Erosion (figurative) Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of wind, water... Ship stranded by the retreat of the Aral Sea Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations, but primarily human activities. ... For other uses, see Poaching (disambiguation). ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... Species Seven species, including: - Anchored Water Hyacinth - Common Water Hyacinth - Variableleaf Water Hyacinth - Brazilian Water Hyacinth The seven species of water hyacinths comprise the genus Eichhornia of free-floating perennial aquatic plants native to tropical South America. ... Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (also known as Ukerewe and Nalubaale) is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. ... Kakamega Forest is situated in Western Province Kenya, north-west of the capital Nairobi, and near to the border with Uganda. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequested by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ... Wangari Maathai Wangari Muta Maathai (born April 1, 1940 in Ihithe village, Nyeri District) is a Kenyan environmental and political activist. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

There are a wide variety of wildlife species in Kenya, whose habitats are threatened by encroachment of man. The Blue Wildebeest is currently abundant, but like other more endangered species feels the pressure of habitat reduction. Various species of deer are commonly seen wildlife across the Americas and Eurasia. ... Binomial name Connochaetes taurinus (Burchell, 1823) The Blue Wildebeest, is a large ungulate mammal of the genus Connochaetes,. Which grows to 1. ...

External links

• National Environment Management Authority

Headline text

• http://www.kenyaforests.org/
• Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain. Kenya is a very wildlife area. It is a dry place. It does not snow in Kenya. Kenya is 224,961 mi.The big five animals of Kenya are the lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant. The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...