Standard Chartered Bank Kenya has handed over Nairobi Arboretum’s rehabilitation and conservation project that aims to improve Nairobi City’s green spaces.
Presented to Nairobi Arboretum Conservancy Community Forest Association (NACCFA) and marking the World Environment Day, the initiative marks the close of a 3-year agreement to promote urban green spaces, community conservation education and awareness and new tree cover.
The Ksh. 20 million initiative is part of Standard Chartered Bank Kenya’s sustainability commitment to accelerate to net-zero through partnerships. It consists of a 1 million seedlings nursery, a digital app on conservation and climate change, QR codes for over 100 iconic evergreen tree species and 20 upgraded signages.
Kariuki Ngari, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kenya and Africa, Standard Chartered said: “This partnership represents a pivotal step forward towards putting the world on a sustainable path to net-zero by 2050. The forest cover will partly aid in mitigating the impact of climate change in an urban area such as Nairobi County as well as in delivering a good quality life for an expanding urban population.”
Since launch, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya staff volunteers helped plant one million tree seedlings in the Nairobi Arboretum nursery through planting and nurturing seedlings. Over 100,000 of the seedlings have been donated to every Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon finisher and communities.
Kenya Forest Service’s Regional Forest Conservator Joyce Nthuku said: “This collaborative investment in Nairobi Arboretum’s nursery will play a vital role in forest planting and conservation efforts across Nairobi, focusing on both reforestation and ecological restoration and eventually benefit the government’s 15 billion trees target by 2032.”