Karura is recognised as ‘Africa’s most successful urban forest’ in a new collection of essays on Urban Forests and Green Spaces in Africa.  

The publication bringing together experience, research and practical lessons from cities across Africa including Nairobi, Mombasa, Johannesburg, Kigali, Kampala and Tunis. It explores how urban trees, parks and green spaces help cities respond to climate change, biodiversity loss, public health challenges and rapid urbanisation.  

Topics covered range from tree equity and urban cooling to invasive species management, community greening initiatives, restoration projects and the protection of urban biodiversity. The introduction states: “Trees and green spaces are more than just ‘amenities’. They are vital infrastructure, they are memory, they are health, they are home.”  

The Karura case study, by Friends of Karura Forest Board members Prof Karanja Njoroge and Chantal Mariotte with FKF Ecosystem Biodiversity Coordinator Peter Njagi, describes how Karura, one of the few forests in the world situated entirely within a city limits, became “the most visited city forest in Africa.”  

The article neatly sums up Karura as a ‘mosaic of indigenous trees, regenerating secondary forest, exotic tree plantations, wetlands, rivers and riparian zones’ with ‘one lake, 60km of maintained walkways and bikeways and a triple football pitch.’

The publication, which was produced with support from Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo outlines the challenges for urban forests such as where to plant trees, getting the species right, protecting mature trees and improving survival.  

The compendium illustrates how African cities are increasingly important contributors to global urban forestry knowledge. The advice from the publication’s editor Cathy Watson Senior Advisor to CIFOR-ICRAF and urban forestry practitioner in Nairobi is simple.  

“Be an urban forest pioneer. Try out some of Africa’s thousands of trees. Forge alliances with communities, city officials, nursery operators, foresters, and botanists,” she states in the Compendium Introduction.