Sustainable Management of Mangrove Resources through a Participatory Approach - Kenya

background

This study reviews an ongoing mangrove restoration project in the Ghazi region of Kenya. The study seeks to improve the sustainable development and conservation of mangrove forests in order to enhance productivity of natural resources in ways that sustain continuous flow of desired forest products and services. All 10 mangroves found in the Indian Ocean region are found in Ghazi. The dominant mangroves in the Ghazi area are Rhizophora mucronata, Ceriops tagal and Avicennia marina.

Conclusions & Takeaways

The strength of the project lies in its participatory design and implementation. From the very beginning the project was implemented with the consent, support, cooperation and participation of the local community. On the other hand the weakness of the project is the conservation education of the Ghazi community. The difficulty identified was helping the fisher-folk and mangrove cutters to understand the conservation value of mangroves to their ecological and economic security. In summary, this project shows a comprehensive participatory approach to the integrated management of mangrove resources in Kenya. By exploring innovative economic incentives for community-based management of natural resources, such as initiating bee farming, ecotourism activities and integrated aquaculture as well as promoting farm forestry in the area.