These seedballs are helping to regenerate Kenya's depleting forests

Kinyanjui, co-founder of Seedballs Kenya, examines a young acacia tree sprouted from a seed ball dispersed in the ecosystem. Photo: AFP

At first glance, the round black pellets could easily be mistaken for animal dung. But these hardy little balls contain acacia seeds that are helping regrow Kenya's depleted forests.

In a tranche of razed forest bordering the Masai Mara wildlife reserve, a team of rangers scatter generous handfuls of "seedballs" around the bald clearing to give nature a fighting chance to regenerate.