Gazette more protected areas

An opinion by Eric Sindabi
Environmentalists have put forward that the continued destruction of the natural resources will not only affect the human life but also the economy. For example global warming is one of the worst effects of environmental degradation that is caused directly by human activities on the natural environment. The results are diverse long term disasters like droughts, floods, and desertification, Tsunami, and disease outbreaks. On the other hand degradation of the natural environment also causes economic downfall.
For example according to a recent report by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Kenya may lose about 300 million natural environment asset if efforts to conserve the Mau are not up held.
The government should provide long term environmental protection plans by gaze ting more protected areas in the country. Some of the areas to be targeted as protected areas should include river basins and other wetland areas apart from forest resources. Parliament and the concerned ministries and government stakeholders in environmental protection should provide guidelines in enacting laws that will ensure that more natural environment areas are gazeted as government protected areas. The laws and policies should criminalize any interference with the areas in any negative ways.
Such laws or policies will ensure that an encroachment in natural areas is diminished. Pollution of rivers and lakes will also be diminished as of deforestation among other environmental destruction activities.
Protecting more natural environment areas can boost eco- tourism and increase natural products like water, fish, fruits, Minerals, and timber products. This can improve the country’s economy and develop the lives of Kenyans.