Simon Choge of the Kenyan Forestry Research Institute, Marigat sub-centre, will lead the National Centre of Excellence on Prosopis.

In 2020, the Kenyan Government has decided to develop a National Prosopis Strategy that aims to implement a well-coordinated, multi-agency approach to manage the highly invasive tree Prosopis juliflora. Native to the Americas., this tree was introduced to Kenya in the early 1970s to provide a source of wood material, fodder and to stabilize degraded ecosystems. However, soon after the introduction Prosopis started to spread and invade grasslands, cropland and biodiversity hotspot areas, particularly in riparian ecosystems. Until recently, Kenya has promoted a ‘management by utilization approach’ to reduce the impacts of this tree on livelihoods and ecosystems. However, as shown by the Woody Weeds project for Baringo County, this approach has not slowed down the spread of Prosopis as intended. The new National Prosopis Strategy, to which partners of the Woody Weeds project contributed through useful data generated by the project as well as expertise, aims to integrate different management approaches, including chemical, physical and biological control in order to reduce invasions followed by reclamation and restoration of the affected areas. The National Strategy also underlines the need to halt further spread of this highly invasive tree by activating prevention, early detection and rapid response mechanisms in newly invaded areas or those with high potential for invasion.