Residents of Mwamdudu in Kwale county are calling on the government and the private sector to help transform their restored mangrove forests into an ecotourism destination that can create jobs and boost the local economy.
Mwatsumbo Community Forest Association (CFA) chairperson Juma Mashanga said conservation efforts should be matched with sustainable economic opportunities.
“After rehabilitating this mangrove forest, what next? We need a sustainability strategy. Ecotourism has great potential for this area,” he said.
Mashanga spoke on Friday at Mwamdudu Beach after the planting of 20,000 mangrove seedlings.
The exercise was carried out in partnership with I&M Bank, through the I&M Foundation, and Furaha and Baraka Farms.
Mashanga said Mwamdudu, located on the Tsunza Peninsula, offers scenic views and is ideal for homestay tourism, allowing local households to benefit directly from visitors.
“When you have homestays here, the income goes straight to families and strengthens community livelihoods,” he said, adding that diversifying income sources is key to building resilience.
I&M Bank Group East Africa regional CEO Kihara Maina reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to environmental conservation and the national target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
Maina said the I&M Foundation, which dedicates 30 per cent of its funding to environmental conservation, achieved its annual target of planting one million trees during the Mwamdudu exercise.
“Tree planting creates ecosystems that support employment and ecotourism is one way of ensuring environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods,” he said.
Furaha and Baraka Farms CEO Daniel Mwero said the partnership has enabled the planting of about 250,000 trees every month across the Tsunza Peninsula, creating employment through community-run tree nurseries.
“It is the community that raises the seedlings using the funds we provide, creating jobs for thousands of residents,” Mwero said, adding the initiative has contributed to nine of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Kenya Forest Service Kwale county conservator Elvis Fondo said the county has about 8,500 hectares (21,003 acres) of mangrove forests, more than 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of which are on the Tsunza Peninsula. He urged Kenyans to support the national tree-growing campaign.
Mashanga said restoring mangroves in Mwamdudu is more challenging than in neighbouring areas because seedlings must be carried for about 30 minutes from the nursery to the planting sites.
The Mwatsumbo CFA manages 2,067 hectares (5,107 acres) of mangrove forest under a participatory forest management plan and has restored 288 (711 acres) of the targeted 300 hectares (741 acres).
Mashanga, whose term ends next year, said the remaining target would be achieved before the end of the year and urged partners to continue supporting conservation efforts.
