Trees to help rivers - 6th May 2022

This is the Sabaki River in Kenya. The plants and trees here need help. Nature near the river is dying. Some people want to stop it dying.

Local people live near the river. They need the plants, wood, fresh water and fish. Some people are planting mangrove trees.

David Obura: "So, the point at which we've got to now - in, globally, in Africa, in Kenya, or just looking at the Kenyan coast, is that population density is very high already. And the amount of resources that have already been extracted - by fishing, by clearing vegetation, by cutting wood for, for charcoal or for construction and things like that - is we already at a ecosystem or environmental deficit right now. So, we can only benefit ourselves and nature by restoring ecosystems right now."

Plants, trees and animals next to the river make an ecosystem. We need ecosystems for clean water and air. The ecosystem on the Sabaki River is dying. People are taking too much from it.

Local people need to make big changes. Environmental scientists are helping them. They're teaching fishermen and farmers how to bring back the river ecosystem. This brings extra money from visitors too.

Local people can farm and fish in new ways. Then, birds and insects return to the area. One way is to plant mangrove trees. They grow quickly and help the ecosystem.

Francis Kagema: "So, the world is changing a lot. But for the mangroves, the ability to bounce back and come back and colonise the areas they used to be in the past is quite encouraging."