LAMU, Kenya – Kenyan coastal communities are trying to preserve mangroves through hydrological restoration initiatives aided by organisations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya (WWF Kenya).
Y News is aware of mangroves’ vital function in protecting coastlines, storing carbon, and offering habitat to various animals. Unfortunately, these significant ecosystems are in danger due to actions like pollution and deforestation.
However, in places like Mida Creek in Kilifi County, Njia ya Ndovu, and Kililana in Lamu County, the hydrological restoration enhanced local community capacity in mangrove conservation with support from the Lamu Mangrove Conservation Project and the Triple Benefit Project.
“Mangrove forests are superheroes of carbon sequestration! One hectare of mangroves stores five times more carbon than a similar area of forest land,” a statement from WWF Kenya statement reads in part.
By opening obstructed channels, mangrove species naturally regenerated, improving the ecosystem’s biodiversity and overall health.
The Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Marine Fisheries Institute (KMFRI), Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI), Lamu Community Forest Association, Gede, and Sosoke CFA all contributed to this accomplishment.
What are mangrove trees
Mangrove trees are halophyte plants that thrive in salt water. So, how are they adapted to survive in salt water?
Their roots filter freshwater from the saltwater they live in, and the unwanted salt is then excreted through pores in the mangrove’s waxy leaves.
Y News understands that the Mangrove forests in Kenya can be found along sheltered sedimentary shores, especially in bays and estuaries.
In Kenya, mangrove trees span around 60,000 hectares, or over 3pc of the country’s total natural forest cover!
Approximately 60pc of Kenya’s mangroves are found in Lamu County, which is in the country’s north, while only 14pc are found in Kwale County, which is in the country’s south.
Tana River County, located on the northern Kenyan coast, has the most established mangroves.
According to KFS, this area boasts the second-largest mangrove forest patch after Lamu County.
How many mangrove tree species are found in Kenya
There are roughly 60–70 different species of mangroves worldwide, but just nine species are found in Kenya.
The most prevalent species is Rhizophora mucronata, locally known as “moko. ” Koko is a highly prized mangrove species mainly used for poles, dye, fuel, fencing, and charcoal.
The other common species are Sonneratia alba, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Avicennia marina, and Ceriops tagal.
Communities along the shore harvested this ecosystem before rehabilitation and restoration became problematic.
Due to intensive logging, mangrove wood was produced—often inexpensive, robust, and long-lasting.
Most beach hotels that sprang up in Kenya during the tourism boom employed mangrove wood as a building material.
Even after Kenya’s tourism declined for years, most of these hotels survived. Coastal communities also built homes and boats out of this wood!
Between 1985 and 2009, Kenya lost around 20pc of its mangrove cover—450 hectares of mangroves annually—due to the unsustainable exploitation of this priceless environment.
According to a recent study, erosion, drought, human pressure, and sea level fluctuations are the primary causes of variations in mangrove cover in four countries, including Kenya.
What does the loss of mangrove ecosystems mean
In the end, Y News understands that the loss of mangrove ecosystems reduces biodiversity and carbon stores that aid in mitigating climate change.
However, restoration initiatives have increased due to rising awareness of the value of mangrove ecosystems.
Since they understand they benefit more from maintaining the mangrove forests, several community organisations collaborate to restore the deforested mangroves!
“WWF Kenya is working with key stakeholders to restore degraded Mangrove forests in Coastal Kenya while ensuring that communities benefit from these resources,” the statement further reads.
In the meantime, the KFS has restored the mangrove forest with amazing success!
In honour of the just-concluded Mazingira Day, 2,300 mangrove seedlings were planted in collaboration between KFS and the Kenya Navy under the command of Brigadier Lazarus Wafula.
This indicates that joint mangrove conservation efforts significantly impact the coastal ecosystem, making the environment healthier for everyone.
