Groups ink MoU to restore mangrove forests at Coast

Residents plant mangrove trees at Tudor Creek in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

Five environmental groups have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to protect and restore dwindling mangrove forests and seagrass along the Kenyan coast.

During the signing of the MoU, Conservation International (CI), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International Eastern Africa, and World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya (WWF-Kenya), called for a visionary approach and unflinching commitment to shaping a more sustainable environment for current and future generations.

Francis Okalo, of IUCN Kenya, said the MOU will provide a collaborative platform for non-state actors and technical experts to advance best practices in mangrove conservation.

"It will also coordinate and consolidate efforts and outputs by non-state actors, ensuring their contribution is aligned with and supports national mangrove conservation targets," he said.

Okalo said mangrove forests help to create healthy seas because they act as nurseries for fish, prawns, crabs, and other marine animals that breed among the trees stilt-like roots, as well as play a role in combating the climate crisis because of their carbon-storing superpowers, locking down more carbon than a terrestrial forest the same size.

"People love to come to the coast for the pristine waters. The alliance wants to make sure it remains that way for generations to come," he said.

George Maina, a scientist at The Nature Conservancy, says mangroves stabilise shorelines and help prevent damage from erosion and storm surge.

''In the fight to offset climate change, studies suggest that mangroves and coastal wetlands annually sequester carbon at a rate ten times greater than mature tropical forests,'' he said.

Abdul Hazeez of Wetlands International, said the collaboration is aimed at protecting wetlands for future generations.