Enhancing Forest Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration in Kenya: Sustainable Policy Strategies from South Korea's Success

Forests serve as vital green infrastructure for global economic growth and human wellbeing.However, deforestation and land degradation threaten sustainable forest management, particularly in developing nations.While developed countries have implemented long-term restoration strategies, limited research exists on enhancing forest landscape and ecosystem restoration policies in developing contexts.This study compares Kenya's forest restoration approach with South Korea's, using a case study methodology and document content analysis, incorporating a SWOT analysis to evaluate key policy documents.Results indicate that Kenya's forest restoration policy aims to increase tree cover from 12.13% to 30% by 2032 through initiatives such as the 15 billion tree-growing program, community engagement, and policy reforms.These efforts have led to the planting of 400 million trees in two years, enhancing biodiversity, mitigating deforestation, improving air quality, and supporting ecotourism and livelihoods.However, weaknesses such as weak policy implementation and reliance on external funding persist alongside threats like climate change and urbanization.Conversely, South Korea's forest restoration success is attributed to strong governmental policies, large-scale reforestation programs, community participation, and technological integration.The country's forest cover is 46%, restored through the National Greening Program.Plans under the Fifth National Forest Plan emphasize sustainable management, climate change mitigation, and publicprivate partnerships.This study emphasizes the need for adaptive, context-specific public investment in Kenya's forest restoration.While South Korea's success demonstrates the benefits of governance, community participation, and afforestation investment, its strategies require careful contextualization.Future research should evaluate policies like carbon credit markets to enhance Kenya's environmental stability and economic resilience.