Kilifi Community Mangrove Project Underway

Archive: 3 July 2020. This summary restores a project update from the former CO2balance website. It describes activity reported in 2020 and is not a statement of current project status.

Mangrove planting in Kilifi County

In July 2020, CO2balance reported work with Natural Capital Partners to plant and monitor mangrove seedlings along Mtwapa Creek, on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline in Kilifi County.

The project area had been degraded by extraction of existing mangroves, leaving exposed soils vulnerable to siltation. Abent and Comensum Mangrove Rehabilitation Groups were working around the creek, with Abent planting to the north and Comensum to the south.

The two groups planned to cultivate 50,000 mangrove seedlings in nurseries before planting them in degraded plots. This was the planned planting total reported at the time, rather than a verified long-term survival figure.

The first planting update

Planting began in June 2020. Abent, a group of 25 members, reported planting 10,125 seedlings in seven days. Comensum, with 18 members, reported planting 4,200 mangroves and hiring three additional community members to help with planting.

The original update described the wider value of mangroves for fish and crab habitats, coastal livelihoods and protection against storm surges.

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