At every step of our journey, our alliance has grown bigger, more passionate.
Impact of implemented projects
Supported Sustainable Development Goals
While Kenya has the largest economy in east Africa, 36% of its population still live below the international poverty line. Our projects generate economic opportunities for the communities on the coast. The community members generated income from the sale of their seedlings to the project. Some households invested the income in small livestock production for subsistence and further income generation.
Before our projects, the local community faced diminishing fish resources as a result of mangrove degradation. Community members are able to provide meals to their families with wages earned through nursery management. Over time, fish and other seafood resources will build back as the mangrove forests mature.
While some medical care in certain hospitals in Kenya is provided at no cost to patients, there are still several medical expenses that are not affordable for those living at or near the poverty line. By planting mangrove trees, community members have reported using income earned to purchase medications for their households.
While school fees for Kenyan public schools were abolished in 2003, families still face costs for uniforms, school supplies, and more. Deforestation is having negative influence on fishing and livelihoods of local people, causing poverty leading to children not be able to visit schools. Many of the families participating in mangrove planting projects invested the incomes from the sales of seedling to settle and further their children’s education. This included school uniforms, fees, and books.
Women’s involvement in our project has proven to be critical for its success. Over 50% of the community members who conduct the tree planting and manage the nurseries where saplings are sourced are women. Projects are involving women in afforestation and conservation activities, helping them to be included in conservation and protection of local nature and helping them to find alternative source of income, for example through ecotourism activities.
The degradation of mangrove trees has threatened both economic and food sources for the Mida Creek community. The local community relies heavily on fishing and ecotourism supported by Mida Creek. Mangrove forests are home to many fish species, thus providing income for communities through fishing. Deforestation has negative effects on both – fish population and livelihoods. Through our projects, community members are able to obtain living-wage employment through the nurseries created for tree planting.
Climate change is a global issue that threatens all societies. We focus on mobilizing the Mida Creek community to raise awareness for the project and educating community members on the benefits of mangrove ecosystem conservation. Mangroves planting plays a vital role in storing carbon, being a wind breaker therefore reducing magnitude and force of sea waves thus protecting coral reefs, local community and other living organisms. Projects are contributing to CO2 storing, which is important for climate change mitigation. We host community training sessions on the monitoring of mangrove growth and survival to ensure the long-term success of the restoration work.
Coastal wetlands, mangroves, and other coastal systems are highly productive, diverse habitats on which thousands of species depend. Mangrove areas are the breeding sites of fish and their destruction has negative effects on fish population thus affecting the livelihood of local community at large.
Mida Creek serves as important breeding grounds for many species of fish including Jacks, Snappers, Groupers, Rabbit Fish, Parrotfish, Emperors, and Barracuda. The area is also home to a variety of aquatic flora including 11 seagrass, 33 seaweed, and 9 mangrove species. Both seagrass and mangrove trees serve to trap sediments, benefiting local coral reefs and providing an important habitat for many marine species.
Deforestation has a huge impact on the life on the coast, resulting in reduced biodiversity, supply of forest products and wildlife habitat. These effects are felt by the adjacent communities, local tourist industry and globally contributing to sea level rise/global warming. We focuse on planting mangroves and restoring areas that were degraded, thus contributing to the terrestrial ecosystem restoration, while helping to combat land degradation and biodiversity loss. Mida Creek is a recognized International Bird Area and together with Arabuko-Sokoke Forest forms a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The area is home to 65 species of aquatic birds, an important passage and wintering area for Palearctic migrant waders, and a critical feeding and development area for Green sea turtles.
Leading with Hope
Our collective work at local, regional, and global scales positions us to ensure that nature ecosystems flourish and provide benefits to humans and wildlife for generations to come.
Leading the Way
We’re partnering with communities, NGOs, governments, and others to turn our science into action around the world.
Partnership for conservation of mangrove ecosystems
We partner with both national and international organizations and private companies to conserve marine ecosystems and restore mangrove degraded areas.
In order to achieve more and promote sustainability, COBEC builds strong relationships with partners who support conservation activities through grants/funding and corporate social responsibility from the private sector. Climate change mitigation needs participation of communities and organizations to work together so as to implement robust mitigation strategies in area that are affected more by climate change.
COBEC invites companies that produce more carbon to the atmosphere to partner with as to plant more trees for carbon sequestration. We endeavor to enhance protection and management of protected areas through partnership and stakeholder engagements.
Collaboration with the business community can bring about changes in environmental attitudes which can in turn influence the attitudes and understanding of the wider community. The community and private sector have vital roles to play in achieving biodiversity goals. Effective partnerships within central and local government, communities and private resource managers need to be forged and strengthened to enable the guidance, sharing of expertise, access to information and support necessary to achieve effective local action.
