Kenya’s $20 million wood-carving industry is booming, born of the initiative of the Wakamba people of south-central Kenya. “But it has reached a difficult juncture. Favourite woods for carving, such as African blackwood, also known as ebony, or mpingo locally, are rapidly being depleted. Carvers and conservationists are assessing the future of the industry that each year fells 50,000 Kenyan trees, even as it employs 80,000 carvers.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)