Kenya's forestry sector, battling to conserve the environment and grow its revenue in tough economic times, is banking on ecotourism as a new stream of cash inflow.

With the about 200 sites lined up for development of ecolodges and other ecofriendly facilities, Kenya Forest Service anticipates to bring in about Sh800 million to Sh1 billion per year if all goes as planned.

Ecotourism is now the fastest growing as more travellers seek to escape everyday pressures to connect with nature.

The World Tourism Organisation ecotourism is estimated to be growing by up to seven times faster than the rest of the tourism sector.

The International Ecotourism Society estimates that ecotourism will have grown by 6.7 per cent in the next two decades. To tap into this sub-sector, the Kenya Forest Service has opened more forest reserves to interested local and international investors.

Bird watching, trekking, water-rafting, among others are some of the activities that have attracted many tourists numbers to the ecolodges.

Forty local and international investors have already submitted proposals and expression of interest to develop, operate and manage ecotourism facilities within 12 sites in Mt Kenya ecosystem and one in Arabuko Sokoke Forest at the Coast which were advertised last year.

"The response was overwhelming...20 participants have been pre-qualified for the next stage and will be evaluated on Technical and Financial Presentation," said Mr Raphael Mworia, the KFS head of corporate communications.

In addition, 22 other sites and 15 guest houses are to be constructed in Central Highlands, Coast, and Mau conservancies.

Mr Mworia says the opening up of these sites will be a big boost and a first step for the organisation to enhance its revenue base. Again, the site will provide KFS with an opportunity to use ecotourism development as a forest management and conservation mechanism.

However, the forestry department is faced with challenges of evicting quarry miners and loggers in some of the areas that are set aside for construction of ecolodges.

In Nyeri, for instance, the KFS, is torn between conserving two natural forests and allowing destructive quarrying activities that are sources of revenue to local communities.

"You can't just wake and tell the people mining building stones to leave because that's where they are getting their livelihood from," the head of Central Highlands Conservancy Mr John Wachihi said.

However, KFS plans to use the ecotourism aspect to conserve the environment in the wake of global climate change.

Emphasis will be put on achieving facilities of high ecotourism ratings and low impact-technology.

Mr Simon Wachira, a specialist in ecotourism, is rooting for use of local communities as compared to private investors, saying community groups are the better placed to operate the ecotourism sites.

"Communities are now serious and have the capacity to develop these sites because the only advantages the private developers have over them is money and knowledge of the market," said Mr Wachira, chief executive officer of the Mt Kenya Tourist Circuit Association.

Exploitation the forest resources through eco-tourism should divert the attention of the communities that have been destroying forests through illegal logging and quarrying.

Development of eco-tourism facilities in forests means that holiday makers will have an alternative to the conventional beach and game drive-oriented tourism.

Tourists are progressively becoming more demanding.

nd are increasingly looking for an all-round experience and there is no better way to offer that than through eco-tourism, said Mr Wachira.

Opportunities for partnerships, collaboration or direct involvement of local community are some of the key factors that should be considered while choosing the sites.

On its part, the KFS is counting on the virgin landscapes and their accessibility to the market and entrepreneurs.

Mr Mworia says eco-tourism activities should be "nature-based" and primarily concerned with direct enjoyment of some relatively undisturbed phenomenon of nature.

"The tourism activity has to be designed to maximise the sustainable use of the natural and cultural resource on which it depends and at the same time enhance the well being of the host community."