In Kenya, nearly a decade of mangrove restoration
The village of Gazi Bay on Kenya's coast, just 55 kilometers (34 miles) south of bustling Mombasa and tucked away from the country's well-trodden tourism circuit, has gained traction in recent years as a model for restoring and tending carbon-sucking mangrove trees that now crowd its bright green shoreline.
Nestled between sandy beaches, still waters and coconut palms, the Mikoko Pamoja project — Swahili for “mangroves together" — has for nearly a decade quietly plodded away, conserving over 100 hectares (264 acres) of mangroves while simultaneously planting new seedlings. About 4,000 new mangroves are planted each year, steadily swelling Gazi Bay's forests.
School kids walk past mangrove trees at Vanga, Kwale County, Kenya on Monday June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
These marine ecosystems capture more carbon dioxide than typical terrestrial forests, making them attractive funding prospects for faraway governments and businesses looking to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. While carbon offsets receive a mixed response from environmentalists, the source of consistent funding has sustained livelihoods of those involved in the project and surrounding coastal villages. Community wages have gone up, and resources for locals have improved.
“We have been able to buy furniture for a dispensary and we have also been able to buy some books for schools,” said Kassim Juma, an assistant project coordinator for Mikoko Pamoja.
Members of Mikoko Pamoja, Swahili for ‘mangroves together’, plant mangrove trees in the beaches of Gazi Bay, in Kwale county, Kenya on Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
A woman loads fish to be sold at a local market backdropped by mangrove trees in Gazi Bay, Kenya on Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
An Eagle flies from a mangrove of Wasini Island, Kenya, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Fishing dhows are moored alongside mangroves in Vanga seafront, Kwale County, Kenya on Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
A member of Mikoko Pamoja, Swahili for ‘mangroves together’, takes a selfie backdropped with mangrove trees at Gazi Bay, in Kwale county, Kenya on Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
With deliberate conservation, comes natural perks. Fisherfolk casting nets in nearby shallow waters have seen an abundance of species return to the mangrove-laden shores, now a breeding ground for fish flourishing in the expanded habitat. And project leaders hail the benefits of cleaner air for people who live in or near the forests.
Now entering its 10th year, the award-winning project has inspired other nations to follow suit. Several mangrove forests across Africa have been destroyed due to coastal development, logging or fish farming, making coastal communities more vulnerable to flooding and rising sea levels.
For those living under Mikoko Pamoja's mangrove umbrella, many of those concerns have, at least partially, subsided.
Fishing dhows are moored along the coastline, Kwale county, Gazi Bay, Kenya on Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Mangrove trees are reflected in the water at Vanga, Kwale County, Kenya on Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
A fisherman repairs his net in Gazi Bay, Kenya on Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
The moon shines over mangrove trees at Vanga, Kenya on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Text from AP News story, AP PHOTOS: In Kenya, nearly a decade of mangrove restoration
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