Nov 16, 2005
Visitors to Mbeere district in Kenya's Central Province can hardly miss them: bags of charcoal laid on either side of the road. Those who sell the bags are far less visible, however. They hide in the surrounding dense vegetation, only appearing to make hurried sales. The reason for this secrecy? Fears of imminent arrest by officials who are trying to curb the illegal logging in Mount Kenya forest which supplies the wood used to make charcoal. There are fears that tree felling may decimate the 2,700 square kilometre forest, which serves as a catchment area for no less than 60 rivers.
































