164 The woodcarving industry in Kenya- Carvers should be encouraged to make fewer products of higher quality
and use less wood in the process. Prime wood of high quality should be
carved only by qualified carvers to minimise wastage. - There is need for independent carvers to join co-operatives to eliminate
destructive competition in marketing and pricing of products.
Policy aspects
- There is need to harmonise, co-ordinate and enforce more strictly the ex-
traction and utilisation of carving wood from state forests and private farm-
lands. - There needs to be a revision of penalties for illegal extraction of wood so as
to be more in line with the value of the resources. - Community involvement in management, decision making and sharing of
benefits from forests needs to be addressed. - Government and donor support is required to sustain the woodcarving in-
dustry in Kenya.
CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT LESSONS
The problems of wood scarcity in the woodcarving industry and the apparent
lack of concern on the part of the carvers about the source of their material
poses considerable conservation and development challenges. Carvers see
themselves as detached from the resources and most of them have a culture of
working day-to-day without much concern for the future. They still believe that
wood will always be available as it has always been, and planning for future
resources is a problem for other people. This mindset has been demonstrated
through the lack of enthusiasm in tree nursery development and the initial
resistance to the use of alternative carving woods. However, through awareness
creation coupled with acute shortages of favoured species, these perceptions
are gradually beginning to change, but more efforts and resources are needed
to educate carvers on these issues.
Useful marketing tools that have been identified as potential incentives for a
switch to the use of alternative species are eco-labeling of products made from
alternative woods and certification of plantations or forestry systems where these
woods are obtained. While these efforts are still in their infancy, it is envisaged
that the growing consumer interest in ethical buying of carvings from Kenya will
greatly influence the conduct of the woodcarving industry. The use of endangered
hardwoods will likely be phased out and alternative woods will take their place.
The problem facing the woodcarving industry in Kenya remained officially
unnoticed for many decades and became apparent only in the early 1990s
through the efforts of the World Wide Fund for Nature and the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation through their People and
Plants Initiative in collaboration with Kenya Forestry Research Institute,
National Museums of Kenya, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Kenya
Crafts Cooperative Union (KCCU). Policy issues aimed at making the industry
sustainable have since been addressed and some remedies are already being
implemented on a pilot basis. These include, for example, the tree nursery09woodcarving.p65 164 22/12/2004, 11:05