Smoke rises from fires in Kenya's Mau forest. The destruction of the canopy by farmers and loggers has triggered an environmental disaster - with millions of people downstream suffering from water shortages.
More than 20,000 families who settled in the forest are now facing removal or eviction. They do not yet know if they will receive any compensation.
The settlers have fertile land for farming. But by cutting down the trees, they have removed the natural "pump" which keeps water flowing in Kenya's rivers, even in the dry seasons.
Illegal loggers have destroyed even more of the trees. Mountains of timber have been captured by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
And here is the result. Downstream from Mau forest, the River Njoro is empty. "This used to be a permanent river," says Bernard Kuloba of KWS.
The Ewaso Ngiro river has also been reduced to a trickle. Cattle are now competing with elephants and wild animals for water. Deaths and injuries have reached record levels this year, says Tuqa Jirmo of KWS.
"The river water tastes of soil and urine from cows. But what else can we drink? It's all we have," says a local pastoralist. "I hope for nothing but that the settlers in Mau forest will leave."
In nearby Narok, Peter Ole Nkolia has only one calf left. His herd was devastated by the lack of water in the rivers. "Those people up there in Mau forest just need to move," he says.
Cattle herders at the Masai Mara are also feeling the heat. The Mara River, which flows from Mau forest, is at its lowest ever level. Cattle are short of water and grazing land is hard to come by.
If the river gets any lower, the wild animals of the Masai Mara will be at risk.
The animals at Lake Nakuru are already suffering. The lake is disappearing - the rivers that feed it come from Mau forest. But they have all but vanished...
...This land was underwater just a few decades ago. Now it is a barren moonscape of tyre tracks and flamingo feathers.
The children in Mau forest face an uncertain future. Every family will soon be asked to surrender their title deeds. Then they will either be resettled, or removed.
Then the massive task of replanting the Mau will begin. More than 100,000 hectares has been destroyed - one quarter of the entire ecosystem. It will be many decades before the rivers flow again.
But perhaps the biggest challenge of all will be changing local farmers' way of life. Burning trees to make charcoal for sale is one of the few ways they have of earning a living. (Photos: Liane Fredericks)
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