Forest Cover Change & Loss

Forest loss and gain, deforestation, degradation and land cover change, nationally and for every county.

Land Cover Change

Land-use change across all of Kenya, from the national GHG inventory (NID 2024). Choose a period to see how many hectares moved between the six IPCC land categories. In 2018–2021, for example, about 39,000 ha of cropland became forest land while about 35,000 ha of forest land became cropland.

Land-use change between the six IPCC land categories, 2018–2021 (hectares)

401,386 haLand that changed category0.68% of Kenya (59,203,788 ha)

+49,038 haBecame forest landmostly from cropland

−43,154 haForest land convertedmostly to cropland

3,509,430 haForest land at end of period5.9% of land; net +5,885 ha

Only land that changed category is drawn; band width = hectares. Hover a band for its area.

The four periods were mapped with different numbers of sample points, so areas are not fully consistent from one period to the next (the inventory notes this as a source of uncertainty).

Earlier map-based change matrix (NFMS document)

Comparing two land cover / land use maps shows where and how much each class changed. Changes are summarised in a change matrix by forest stratum and canopy class. Choose an epoch below; the colours show the REDD+ activity each change counts as.

Land-use change 2014–2018: from (rows) → to (columns)

2014 \ 2018	MW-D	MW-M	MW-O	MC-D	MC-M	MC-O	DL-D	DL-M	DL-O	Plantation	Cropland	Grassland	Wetland	Settlement & other
Montane & WRF – Dense	834,862	49,209	19,734								88,835	91,840	416	821
Montane & WRF – Moderate	40,248	83,235	12,899								11,406	53,825	78	33
Montane & WRF – Open	9,843	10,324	26,260								6,435	51,566	10	25
Mangroves & coastal – Dense				164,282	87,918	1,363					6,422	160,174	1,632	825
Mangroves & coastal – Moderate				22,023	40,366	2,040					3,565	50,419	458	233
Mangroves & coastal – Open				1,116	989	452					110	2,797	9	12
Dryland – Dense							344,985	97,928	42,170		24,559	455,918	3,874	2,307
Dryland – Moderate							57,877	60,223	33,164		4,763	127,932	1,229	1,018
Dryland – Open							21,221	20,412	66,984		4,012	185,783	1,445	4,274
Plantation forest										56,315	17,880	7,263	26	23
Cropland	78,641	8,156	6,568	1,689	2,567	438	21,204	9,163	10,163	3,886
Grassland	85,367	48,885	38,956	76,856	82,563	13,417	377,850	207,559	158,441	4,834
Wetland	267	176	12	343	316	38	1,648	1,083	1,877	14
Settlement & other land	866	107	1,702	398	470	15	1,667	2,424	3,279	6

Deforestation: 337,265 ha/yrForest degradation: 86,606 ha/yrEnhancement: 357,306 ha/yrSustainable management (plantations): 8,483 ha/yrNo change

MW = Montane & western rain forests, MC = Mangroves & coastal, DL = Dryland; D/M/O = Dense/Moderate/Open. Hover a cell for details. t CO₂ = area × emission factor (Table 19); the report’s own totals (Tables 20–23) differ slightly through rounding of the factors. Positive = emission, negative = removal.

Read gross change with care. The annual gross areas are large compared with Kenya's forest area because dryland forest and wooded grassland are often confused in the maps, and the change maps' own accuracy is only 30–52% (Quality & Transparency › Uncertainty Assessment). Net change and the FRL averages are more robust than single-epoch gross figures.

Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, National Forest Monitoring System in the Republic of Kenya, Version 1 (Draft), February 2021. Chapter 5.1.2.

Source: Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Kenya's Third National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Document 1990–2022, December 2024 (Kenya’s national inventory report to the UNFCCC). Chapter 6.2.2, Figure 6-6.

Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, The National Forest Reference Level for REDD+ Implementation, December 2019 (Kenya’s FRL submission to the UNFCCC). Chapter 3.1, Tables 4–7.