Lamu Bay’s Mangrove Revival: A Community-Led Beacon for Climate Resilience _ In Lamu Bay, where the rhythm of tides meets traditional livelihoods, a remarkable initiative is reshaping both landscapes and futures. Under the Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED) Project, executed by the State Department for the Blue Economy and Fisheries with World Bank funding, communities, researchers, and local authorities joined forces to plant 5,000 mangrove seedlings across five degraded creek sites within the Lamu Bay Joint Co-Management Area (JCMA).
More than restoration, this is resilience in action.
More than restoration, this is resilience in action.
Mangroves are vital: they protect coastlines, support prawn and crab fisheries, store blue carbon, and buffer extreme weather. Yet Kenya has lost up to 40% of its mangroves due to illegal cutting, land conversion, and hydrological shifts. This restoration addresses ecological degradation while strengthening community livelihoods, particularly for artisanal prawn and crab fisheries that depend on healthy mangroves for nursery grounds.
A foundation built on science & local stewardship.
Learning from past failures where species were planted without regard for local ecology, this project began with ecological surveys in Mkunumbi, Kimbo, Matondoni, and Kipungani creeks. The surveys, carried out with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Fisheries Service (KeFS), Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), and local Community Forest Associations (CFAs) and Beach Management Units (BMUs), identified ecologically suitable areas and species.
Only appropriate mangroves—Ceriops tagal and Rhizophora mucronata—were selected, planted in carefully mapped intertidal zones. Seedlings were propagated in CFA-managed community nurseries using estuarine mud substrates to improve survival and were transported by boat during high tide to avoid damage. Planting was done manually by BMU teams, with spacing tailored to species requirements.
“Healthy mangroves mean healthier fisheries, stronger coastlines, and greater resilience to climate change,” commented a BMU leader on the ground. Their words echo across restored shorelines, where the rhythm of roots meets the pulse of artisanal fishing.
Women from the Lamu Bay community
Co-management at its core.
This initiative exemplifies participatory governance. On 25 June 2025, county fisheries officers, KFS and KeFS officers, KMFRI researchers, CFA representatives, and BMU leaders from Matondoni, Kipungani, Mashundwani, Mkunumbi, and Kiongwe jointly restored 1.25 hectares of degraded mangrove forest.
A total of 5,000 seedlings were planted, with each of the five sites receiving 1,000 plants strategically distributed across 0.25 hectares. Species were placed according to tidal gradients—Rhizophora mucronata in the lower intertidal zones for wave resistance, Ceriops tagal in the upper zones for creek edges. All plastic propagation bags were removed to prevent pollution, and GPS coordinates were recorded for ongoing monitoring.
The participatory process—combining scientific rigor, community ownership, and technical guidance—ensured that restoration was not only an ecological intervention but also a socio-economic investment in the resilience of local livelihoods.
What’s next?
This planting is just the beginning. Monitoring protocols and adaptive management frameworks are in place to assess survival rates and growth performance, guiding future actions. The experience has laid a foundation for scaling up mangrove rehabilitation across additional sites within the JCMA, which spans ten BMUs and approximately 920.8 km² of marine and coastal ecosystems in Lamu County.
By linking blue carbon strategies with artisanal fisheries management, the initiative demonstrates how ecological restoration and socio-economic uplift can advance together—anchored in co-management, powered by local stewardship, and aligned with Kenya’s sustainable blue economy vision.
Lamu Bay’s Mangrove Revival: A Community-Led Beacon for Climate Resilience
