V.91 The Bureau noted that the State Party has had some delay in preparing a management plan from the international assistance approved by the twenty-fourth session of the Bureau. IUCN was concerned about the ongoing illegal activities in the Mt. Kenya Forest, despite the Kenya Wildlife Service taking over responsibility last year for a larger part of the Mt. Kenya Forest. Forest excisions still take place on the ground, in particular in the Mt. Hombe and Ragati blocks of Mt Kenya Forest, outside the World Heritage site. In February 2001, the Environment Minister gave a 28-day notice of intent to allocate 68,000 hectares of forest land, including locations around Mt. Kenya, for settlement, and there are reports that surveyors are working in the Hombe and Ragati blocks in an attempt to start land demarcation before the implementation of the Forest Bill. However, on 16 March 2001 it was reported that the Kenyan High Court granted an injunction to prevent authorities allowing forests to be cleared. These forests will now remain state property until a case filed against the Minister for the Environment is heard. Cannabis plantations continue to pose a threat to conservation of the Mt. Kenya. Plantations range in size from 2 to 3 acres and are located on the Embu and Meru South slopes of Mt. Kenya. When plantations are destroyed by anti-narcotics police, growers simply move deeper into the forest. Despite the arrest of some plantation guards, the authorities have not been able to identify plantation owners. The police and Kenya Wildlife Service do not currently have adequate resources to eliminate the plantations.
V.92 The Bureau welcomed the IUCN recommendations and requested the Centre and IUCN to co-operate with the State Party with a view to undertaking a monitoring mission to the site to ascertain its state of conservation. The Bureau further requested the State Party to co-operate with the Centre and IUCN in order to complete the management plan and a programme for the rehabilitation of the site and to provide information on its actions to combat deforestation, to be submitted to the Centre by 15 September 2001 for consideration by the twenty-fifth extraordinary session of the Bureau.