Government Urged to Manage Mangrove Ecosystem for Future Generations

By Robby Ngomba

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

As the government is aligning mangrove restoration with climate change goals towards vision 2032, it is important that we reflect more on mangrove species, their multiple benefits, threats facing them and how we could sustainably manage these ecosystem for future generations.

Mangrove are commonly found in intertidal areas along the Coastline.

In Kenya, mangrove forests cover an average of about 61,000 hectares and providing livelihoods to thousands of Coastline people.

They play a significant role including providing wood and non-wood forest products, Coastal protection and conservation of biological diversity as well as provision of habitat like spawning grounds and nutrients for variety of marine species.

Along the Coastline, mangrove forests are threatened to extinction by a vast unsustainable human factors, pollution and natural causes including climate change.

However, all is not lost, the Regenerative Seascapes for People, Climate and Nature (ReSea) project, has brought together national government, the devolve units, coastal mangrove conservancy groups among other partners in a project aimed at safeguarding biodiversity, protecting vulnerable species from extinction, restoring degraded habitats and implementing policies that promote ecosystem resilience in the coastal areas.

Speaking to journalists during the opening of a three-day training workshop held at Temple Point in Watamu, programme manager Coast and Ocean Resilience Francis Okalo said the project’s objective is targeting to empower mangrove conservancy groups to uplift their living standards and restore at least 40 hectares of degraded areas through community participation.

“The project covers three Sub-County in Kilifi from Takaungu to Marereni where 14 Wards along the Coastline are included,” he said.

The project which is funded by the Canada’s International Development Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by Mission Inclusion, Groots Kenya and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Resources, Eastern and Southern Regional Office (IUCN-ESARO) target over 85,000 direct beneficiaries by 2026.

He stated that the project covers Kenya, Comoros islands, Madagascar, Tanzanian and Mozambique aiming to mangrove conservancy groups through responsive conservation practises, to protect, restore and sustainable manage marine and coastal ecosystem.

Kenya Forest and Research Institute (KEFRI) representative John Ndiga, says the country has made tremendous milestone towards mangrove restoration ans urged players to enhance conservation measures.

“Illegal poaching of mangroves for poles and firewood was the greatest challenge lagging behind the country’s efforts in restoring mangrove but through the various guidelines policies and awareness campaigns, the country is now moving in the right direction,” he said.

He revealed that Rhizophora Mucronate was the main mangrove species targeted because of its poles.

Fish numbers had dwindled, the environment was very bad and our livelihoods were highly affected to the point of despair and even death, that’s why we took the initiative of planting mangrove seedlings to reduce the negative effects of climate change,” says Said Athman, a BMU from Ngomeni.

He narrated that since the project started in 2023, hope for the fish-dependent community has been revived greatly.