WHAT LIES BENEATH: A BRIEF GLIMPSE INTO OUR COASTAL MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
The coastal regions of Kenya bring to mind beautiful images of a bonafide African paradise. Water that reflects a purity and innocence of a world that does not exist in my daily hustle and bustle in the congestion and pollution infested reality that is my part of the country.
I long for the relief that would be provided by the beauty and magic of two weeks on a beach in the coast. Apparently I am not the only one who thinks this way because every year thousands of tourists from all over the world to enjoy our coastal counties’ beautiful white beaches, clear turquoise waters, teeming wildlife and wonderful hospitality of our people in Kenya’s coastal regions of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi,Lamu, Taita-Taveta and Tana-River counties.
Kenya’s coastal and maritime ecosystems constitute sea grass beds, rocky shores, estuaries, beaches, terrestrial habitats, mangrove swamps and coral reefs that are closely interlinked and provide the livelihood of 2.7 million people. The mangrove forests found in the region are uniquely diverse with life and are breeding ground for fish. They are also dispersal areas for the Marine National Parks and Reserves such as Kisite/Mpunguti and Diani. These marine parks and reserves are teeming with a variety of fish life, marine algae, and sea grasses. Kisite/Mpunguti, which is an amalgamation of four islands that are a key nesting place for marine sea turtles and a breeding site for dugongs and dolphin, all of which are endangered marine animals. The north coast is known to be a breeding ground for the humpback whale. Mombasa, Malindi Watamu and Lamu are well-known tourist destinations. The Arabuko-Sokoke and Kaya coastal Forests are emerging as new favorite destinations. Tana River County is one of the most ecologically diverse habitats and has immense tourism potential with its riverine forest, woodland, grassland, bush lands, lakes, open river channels, sand dunes, mangroves and coastal waters. The Tana Estuary is an important nursery for marine species key to the coastal fisheries of the Somali Current ecosystem.
Vision 2030 aims to make Kenya a globally competitive and thriving nation with a high quality of life and the tourism sector is a major key to achieving this goal. 20 years of research by the World Travel and Tourism Council puts tourism as the largest employer in the world. Tourism makes up 45% of the region’s economy. This international traffic has several positive ripple effects such increased business opportunities, increased employment opportunities through the hospitality industry its related partners, improvement in communication and information exchange because of our need for efficient communication with visitors from all corners of the globe to facilitate better business, improvements in fishing technologies and preservation methods, opportunities to expand markets for our products.
Kenya is developing a fleet fishing but we have not yet reached the capacity of many countries. The Malindi-Ungwana bay is vital to marine fishery in Kenya because of its shallow bathymetric configuration and the nutrient input by Rivers Tana and Sabaki. The two river deltas are the only parts of the Kenyan coast that can be trawled without contravening the Fisheries Act which limits trawling beyond 5 km offshore, destruction of artisanal fishing gear by the trawlers, wastage of fish by catching and killing target species such as turtles.
What has in the past been a boon can also be a bane. Anthropogenic pressures such as unmanaged degradation, population dynamics, coastal development (increases sewage discharge), unsound land use practices in the system’s drainage basin (causing siltation and eutrophication which leads to the death of animal life due to a lack of oxygen), rob the coastal counties of the benefits they could reap from this bounty of nature. These pressure cause conflicts between artisanal fishers, local communities, investors, conservation agencies, and the government. The influx of visitors has resulted in overexploitation of the marine resources that attracted people to our counties and endangering them. The majority of fishing in the coastal economy is carried out by artisanal fishers. A major threat according to the Kenya Marine Research Institute (KMRI), is the over-exploitation of resources through the use of inappropriate fishing gear, the collection of high numbers of juvenile fish leading to population depletion, fishing deeper into the sea and conflicts between ornamental fish collectors and artisanal fishers over resource use. Artisanal fishers worry that the most beautiful fish are disappearing because of over collection by aquarium fishers, diminishing the aesthetic value of fished grounds and destroying reef habitats.
KMRI cites aquaculture as a solution to alleviating the pressures related to harvesting coral reefs for the marine ornamental trade. Coral farming for home and public reef aquaria as a sustainable alternative to harvesting from natural reefs are encouraged. Kenya’s marine aquarium industry is an investment opportunity for those seeking to satisfy a fast growing market by exporting corals cultured by local communities. But this involves working closely with the scientific community to gather data on the ecological impact of this in the region.
Managing marine resources also has economic benefits. Several organizations have been exploring alternative aqua cultural activities such as the culturing of catfish and mud crab, shrimp farming, seaweed farming and ornamental fish farming, as livelihood enhancers. They are also working at improving techniques for reducing post harvest fish losses (e.g. solar drying technology for fish that reduces contamination in the Tana Delta, a hybrid sola-windmill dryer in Kipini); value addition to fish products such as dried and smoked fish and marinades in order to diversify products.
Community involvement and ownership of conservation efforts are key to sustainability and viability. Organizations such as A Rocha Kenya are working with the local community to mitigate the impact of humans on the marine environment. In a conversation with Colin Jackson, Conservation and Science Director for A Rocha Kenya he said that “the way we deal with the environment reflects how we feel about it.” He added that we tend to be unaware of what is beneath ocean marine habitats unlike say a forest habitat and so the results of overexploitation are not always immediately visible. He further went on to say that it is important to work with the community in order to better understand the fragility of the environment and how to treat it with care and respect. Biologist Enric Sala talks of securing and preserving the environment by creating reserves-“no- take” marine reserves which he equates to environmental savings accounts. If we don’t touch it, over time it will produce social, economic and ecological returns.