Nature-based Solutions and carbon credit initiatives in Kenya: An overview of the governance context

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have in recent years emerged in policy agendas as an umbrella termfor approaches that address societal challenges through ecosystem conservation and restoration.While the literature has examined numerous aspects of Nature-based Solutions, there has been littleresearch on the governance and institutional dynamics of such projects. The collaborative researchproject Governing Nature-based Climate Solutions: Justice, Carbon and Nature (JUCAN) examinesthis issue in the context of Kenya. Kenya’s current government pursues a policy of becoming Africa’s‘carbon hub’, and a number of projects are currently being implemented in grasslands, forests andcoastal areas that attract funding from carbon credit sales on the voluntary carbon market. ThisWorking Paper provides a preliminary overview of the national governance context for Nature-basedSolutions in Kenya, as a background for more in-depth grounded studies of individual NbS projects.The paper discusses the historical context, outlines the evolution of NbS and related approaches inpolicies and laws, describes key stakeholders and frameworks in project governance, and providesan overview of the finance landscape.