Livelihoods

Protection

Planting-Potted Seedlings

DEGRADED MANGROVES RESTORATION IN COASTAL KENYA

DEGRADED MANGROVES RESTORATION IN COASTAL KENYA •

Mangrove restoration contributes to environmental benefits:

coastal biodiversity, enhanced ecosystem function and integrity. Mangroves are often misunderstood and undervalued ecosystems. These coastal forests are sometimes perceived as “dirty” or “dead areas”, a wasteland that could be cleared in favour of sandy beaches, swanky resorts or other developments. These myths about mangroves could not be farther from the truth. They are the only trees that thrive in salty waters and improve water quality by filtering out nutrients and sediments. They are also teeming with life: more than 1,500 plant and animal species depend on mangroves. This includes fish and birds who use the shallow waters beneath mangrove trees as nurseries. Research now indicates that mangroves are also critical for larger mammals, such as monkeys, sloths, tigers, hyenas and African wild dogs. Protecting mangroves and restoring damaged ones also helps combat climate change through carbon sequestration as they are some of the most carbon-rich ecosystems on the planet, storing an average 1,000 tonnes of carbon per hectare in their biomass and underlying soils only. But mangroves are threatened. Worldwide, a fifth of them have already disappeared.

The main driver of mangrove loss is coastal development, when mangrove forests are cleared to make way for buildings and fish or shrimp farms. Mangroves are a remarkably diverse and important ecosystem that works in tandem with other marine ecosystems including seagrass beds and coral reefs all of which are essential not only for the health of our ocean, coasts and the biodiversity that they support, but for the wellbeing of humans. The forgoing is true for the mangroves in the coastal strip of Kenya.

PILOT PROJECT COMPLETED

This project entailed protecting and restoring the mangroves in the Tudor Creek located in Mombasa city, Kenya.The creek covers some 1450 hectare & drains some 55,000 hectares of the near hinterland. The Mangroves of the Tudor Creek are an important habitat and source of food supplies for the indigenous peoples and local communities. They replenish fish stocks that the indigenous communities have historically relied on for their livelihoods.

They have been greatly degraded and endangered by logging as well as high demand for sandy beaches, beach resorts and other developments. It is for this reason that the CarboDeep Ltd in partnership with the local beneficiary and implementing communities including Tulinde Mikoko CBO undertook to protect, restore and well as expand the mangroves ecosystem in the project area. To date around 170, 000 mangroves have been planted by Tulinde Mikoko CBO in the Tudor Creek of Mombasa Kenya. The community has also benefited from sale of honey from some several pilot beehives in the mangroves.We plan to expand that beehives project 300 fold under the planned CarboDeep Blue Carbon Scheme that will entaill planting 5.5. million Mangroves in three other counties of coastal Kenya besides Mombasa city where the Tudor Creek Pilot sites are located.

CARBODEEP BLUE CARBON SCHEME

The mandate of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) is to enhance development, conservation and management of Kenya's forest resources base in all public forests including mangroves, and assist County Governments to develop and manage forest resources on community and private lands for the equitable benefit of present and future generations. They are currently working with various partners in the field of mangrove restoration and support to the local communities/community Forest Associations (CFAs) in the Nature Based Enterprises (NBE). They take welcomed us as part of our valued partners under auspices of ADOPT A FOREST Policy. Going forward, CarboDeep Ltd in partnership with the KFS & international investors will be restoring degraded Mangroves ecosystems sites for at least 1000 to 3000 hectares located in several segments spanning the following four counties in coastal Kenya: Mombasa, Kwale, Lamu and Tana River. The crediting period for this Carbon Scheme would be 40 years and will be registered with one of the three main international carbon credits verification standards (Gold Standard, Plan Vivo or Verra)

The envisaged approach to this intervention would comprise the following:

Planting-Potted Seedlings

With a proposed budget of Kshs 100 per tree for 5.5 million mangroves within a three years’ period, all-inclusive of Procurement, Transportation, Planting and after-care of the propagule/planted seedlings. The planting will be preceded by a detailed Mapping/Assessment guided by the KFS technical standards implemented by their technical staff and CarboDeep team with a view of ensuring we plant the right species in the right places. For instance, in some highly degraded areas, the rehabilitation will mean planting/reforesting the whole segment. Other segments will entail enrichment planting just to fill in gaps. There are other areas whereby no planting will be needed and perhaps hydrological rehabilitation to remove marine channels blockage by de-siltation would be recommended.

Protection

This would entail the conservation aspect. Protection of existing already mature and healthy Mangroves from grazing, cutting/logging, siltation, etc. It will involve training of community scouts to conserve the already healthy Mangroves as well as the growing ones. These community rangers may use tools like motor boats and bikes. We may also invest in infrastructure like community Resource Centres. Upon the request by the KFS, we are also looking at supporting this work with aerial survey from a tool developed by the WRI, Virginia University in collaboration with NASA that it has access to that gives a near real-time alert of any conversion danger to the covered Mangroves. Other aspects of protection may include provision of computers and smartphones as well as training (both backend and front end) about the monitoring tool. Monitoring of Recoveries in areas that are somewhat degraded but have shown ability to regenerate themselves if areas are protected is included in this intervention.

Livelihoods

These entails, beekeeping, boardwalks for ecotourism, crab fattening, sustainable shrimp & Octopus farming, etc. The KFS will facilitate connection between Avatari Development and the various respective CFAS and CBOS spread across the various sites in that regard. It is expected that upon completion of the detailed Mapping exercise in all the necessary sites, CarboDeep would write again to the KFS to request for the drawing of a Professional Collaborative Framework and a Blue Carbon Development Project as would be informed by the feasibility report resulting from the detailed Mapping cum Assessment work. The respective County Forest Conservators and Forest Station Managers will be Implementing Partners. Further, to prevent people in the community who live near the mangrove forest from depending on the deforestation of the mangroves for charcoal or wood production to generate income for their livelihoods, CarboDeep plans to share 50% of carbon revenues with local stakeholders. By involving them in the entire planting process and continuing to share profits over the next 20 years, it is aimed to create a sense of ownership and awareness for the mangrove forest so that logging or use for agricultural purposes is not pursued.

Finally Avatari Development Kenya, which as one of the Partners sourcing requisite finances, they are investing in a USD 20 million Synthetic Bio-Mimicry Mangroves Research Lab in collaboration with the KFS in Mombasa to create meaningful and sustainable jobs to research institutions in the country besides facilitating advanced technology transfer.

PICTORIALS FOR THE TUDOR CREEK PILOT SITES

CarboDeep Founder Jeremiah Lemi with Members of the Tulinde Mikoko CBO at the Tudor Creek Mangoves sites where the Pilot of planted 170k Mangroves has been successfully completed.

Jeremiah Lemi Muia (second from right-thumping up) with the tulinde mikoko(saves Magroves) Community Based Mangroves restoration organization inside their restoration site in the Tudor Creek in Mombasa city.