Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Act, no. 15 of 2026.

This Act amends the Forest Conservation and Management Act. Amendments concern: insertion of new definitions: agro-silvopastoralism; allied natural resources; buffer zone; forest carbon; ecosystem services; forest certification; forest cover; National Safeguards Information System; participatory forest management; payment for ecosystem services; Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation; timber grading. Further amendments concern: promotion of efficient water harvesting and management technologies for tree growing in dry land areas; collection of revenue and charges due to the national government in regard to forest resources and services; providing technical assistance to the county governments in the development of agroforestry and commercial forestry in community land; establishment of the Directorate of Forest Regulation and appointment of Secretary; functions of the Secretary, including: issuing regulatory guidelines, monitoring, inspection and auditing compliance with this Act and the applicable standards in forest management and protection, registering, licensing and regulating forest certification experts, timber graders, monitoring and providing regulatory oversight on ecosystem service payments, benefit-sharing mechanisms and other climate related forestry initiatives; establishment of Kenya Forestry Research Institute and specification of its functions, including definition of protocols and procedures for development of forest-based food and medicinal; framework for the Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes; rights vested in the Institute for discoveries, inventions, innovation, improvements and intellectual property rights in respect of processes, products, apparatus and machines.