Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws    Fake-alcohol deaths highlight SE Asia's methanol problem    Netanyahu attacks ICC war crimes arrest warrants    KSrelief provided over $7bln to support children around the world    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    OMODA&JAECOO: Unstoppable global cumulative sales over 360,000 units    Saudi Arabia sees 73.7% rise in investment licenses in Q3 2024    9 erring body care centers shut in Riyadh    20,000 military emblems confiscated in Riyadh    Al-Samaani visits headquarters of Hague Conference on Private International Law    Al Hilal doesn't need extra support to bring new players, CEO says    Fate of Gaetz ethics report uncertain after congressional panel deadlocked    Indian billionaire Gautam Adani indicted in New York on fraud charges    Rafael Nadal: Farewell to the 'King of Clay'    Indonesia shocks Saudi Arabia with 2-0 victory in AFC Asian Qualifiers    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Yemeni Orchestra's captivating performances in Riyadh, showcasing shared cultural legacies    Future of Ronaldo's Al Nassr contract remains undecided, says Saudi Pro League CEO    GASTAT report: 45.1% of Saudis are overweight    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



With mangrove conservation, Kenya's coastal communities plant seeds of sustainable 'blue growth'
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 07 - 2022

The southern ocean border of Kenya and Tanzania is dotted with thick hedges of mangroves – indispensable carbon sinks and spectacular ecosystems teeming with life – that appear to float dreamlike over creek beds and mudflats. These hardy trees and shrubs, and the communities that depend on them, are getting a major boost from UN-backed restoration plans that are also helping to reduce poverty and build economic resilience.
Mangroves are tropical marine forests with huge potential. They protect coastlines from erosion and storm surge; and provide food and shelter for a diverse array of wildlife, and nursery habitats for commercially important fish and shellfish.
They also fight climate change: the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that global mangrove forests sequester within their roots, trunks, and in the soil as much as 22.8 million tons of carbon each year.
While they provide valuable services for people and the planet, mangroves are in trouble. Along with climate change impacts such as rising sea levels and temperatures, mangrove forests are being depleted because their wood is valuable and prized by coastal communities as a prime source of timber for construction, fuel, and even medicines. Rampant coastal urbanization, and unsustainable agriculture and aquaculture practices round out the long list of challenges.
But all hope is not lost! Sometimes, innovative partnerships can lead to sustainable solutions. Over the past three years, UN agencies, the Kenyan Government and other key partners have joined forces to launch several community-based conservation projects. They aim to help tackle poverty and deliver climate, biodiversity and local-level benefits to communities on the Kenyan coast.
Alongside UNEP, the Kenya Forest Service, the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute and partners recently inaugurated the Vanga Blue Forests Project in coastal Kwale County's Vanga Bay (south of Mombasa), a groundbreaking initiative to trade carbon credits from mangrove conservation and restoration.
Vanga Blue's sister project is in nearby Gazi Bay. Launched two years ago, this first-of-its-kind initiative, known as Mikoko Pamoja ('Mangroves Together'), raises money by selling carbon credits to people and organizations eager to shrink their carbon footprint, through the Scottish charity ACES. This project supports planting and conservation of mangrove trees. The payments for 'mangrove carbon' are used to benefit the local community.
Mwanarusi Mwafrika, the coordinator of Vanga Blue Forests, told UN News that some animal species like dugongs (marine mammals that are cousins of similarly threatened manatees) had begun disappearing. Now, they are coming back. Also, fishermen report of larger catches. This is because of the environment conservation efforts that we employed with the locals."
The Vanga Blue Forests project focuses on conservation of the trees, as the locals have already planted the seedlings. It benefits about 9,000 residents of the villages of Vanga, Jimbo and Kiwegu. The villages form 'VAJIKI', a community forest association that oversees 460 hectares of forest land. Jimbo Village has established a nursery with 30,000 viable mangrove seedlings.
Harith Mohamed is the secretary of the community association, and he believes that conservation is the way forward.
"If you disturb the equilibrium [between] mangrove and terrestrial forests then there will be consequences," he told UN News, and explained: "Terrestrial forests are uphill, and the mangroves are down along the water. So, it's important to conserve these forests to prevent flooding because if the sea level rises, then the farms cannot be worked."
The Vanga Blue Forests project supports community sustainable development processes that address education, health, and water and sanitation needs. In the short time since it was launched, some five hectares of mangroves have been restored, and that trajectory is expected to continue.
Moreover, Vanga Blue has set in motion vital projects that will enhance the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people in local fishing communities. For example, a nursery school has been rehabilitated and a hospital has been revamped with new equipment. Local sanitation projects are now under way.
Like the ocean, mangroves are massive carbon sinks. Compared to other terrestrial trees and forests, a single mangrove forest has a tenfold ability to suck in carbon emissions. Protecting and enhancing these forests removes and keeps carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
They also promote resilience to climate change, according to Florian Lux of the Go Blue Project, a third blue growth initiative underway along Kenya's southern coast, which is being implemented by UNEP and UN-HABITAT and sponsored by the European Union.
"I'm pleased that the Go Blue Project has a mangrove restoration component. [Protection and sustainable use of mangroves provides] lots of possibilities for conserving the environment as well as being beneficial to the local villagers. Carbon sequestration does provide resilience in communities along the oceans," he told UN News.
The Go Blue Project, a joint initiative to advance a sustainable blue economy across all six counties in Kenya's coastal region, focuses on helping cities and towns cope with the impacts of climate change. Among others, the programme aims to harness important coastal and marine resources to bring jobs to over 3,000 youth and women.
Goodluck Mbaga, an environmentalist and conservationist in Kilifi County, reiterated the importance of being mindful of the health of the ocean.
"There's a need to embrace conservation especially of the marine environment. There's a lot of potential within the ocean as an alternative means of sustenance. There is more to reap from the ocean than the terrestrial activities in life," he told UN News, echoing UNEP's plea that rather than depleting or polluting these resources, we must develop ways in which to harness and protect them. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.