Lessons from the Blue Forest

"This is one of the most critical blue carbon sites here in Kenya," says Mwanaharusi Mwafrika, the project coordinator of the Vanga Blue Forest Project, to an attentive audience of the Locally Empowered Area Protection (LEAP) project implementing partners drawn from Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Seychelles. "We wanted to show you what a blue carbon ecosystem looks like and how it's being used to benefit the local community directly and indirectly.

LEAP project partners from Kenya Tanzania Mozambique and Seychelles visited Vanga

The partners from IUCN (the World Conservation Union), Nature Seychelles, Associação do Meio Ambiente (AMA Mozambique), and CORDIO East Africa, are gathered in coastal Kenya for the project's first regional meeting.

Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Government of Germany and coordinated by IUCN, the project focuses on putting local communities at the heart of coastal and marine management and conservation to protect nature, build climate change resilience, and secure livelihoods. Nature Seychelles implements the project in the Baie Ternay and Port Launay Marine National Parks through a co-management agreement with the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority.

In the past few days, the implementing partners have charted their progress, discussed challenges, and made plans for the project's completion. And as part of the meeting, they are visiting the iconic Vanga Blue Forest project.

Vanga Bay in Kenya is home to the community led Blue Forest project (Photo credit : Vanga Blue Forest)

Fisher communities in Vanga Bay have relied on the ocean for food for generations. They fish its waters for Silverfish (Rastrineobola argentea) locally known as Dagaa - a beloved delicacy, other fish, squid, shrimp, and octopus. Firewood and building materials are also obtained from the extensive mangrove forests along the shoreline.

These days, however, the ocean and seascapes are providing other benefits for the community. Through the Vanga Blue Forest project, a community-led and community-driven initiative, the local people are successfully trading carbon credits in exchange for mangrove conservation and restoration.

They plant mangroves and conserve existing ones, selling the carbon they can absorb as offsets to organizations and people seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. Funds are then used for community projects in education, health, water, and sanitation. Several countries have been inspired to replicate the pioneering project.

Mwanaharusi Mwafrika VBF coordinator explaining the project to LEAP partners

"Government institutions and NGOs provide us with technical support for restoration. The purpose is not to make money, but to conserve our natural resources to reap their benefits," says the chair of the Community Forest Association, Harith Mohamed.

The community is looking to extend its blue carbon trading to nearby seagrass meadows.

"It is encouraging to see communities that are actively involved in managing their natural resources," says Corinne Julie, LEAP's technical coordinator in Seychelles.

Funds are used for community projects in education health water and sanitation

The LEAP project is introducing the concept of locally managed areas to residents of Port Glaud. A co-management committee has been formed after two years of stakeholder consultations, environmental and social assessments, education, and awareness. The project will build and strengthen the capacity of the committee members to better understand the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders and governing bodies involved in the management of the marine parks.
But there's much to be done. While the process has been ongoing in other countries for decades, it is still early days for Seychelles.

It's important to include local people in governance, but the environment sector lags behind in doing so in Seychelles. It’s not been easy. We are still struggling with the concept of co-management, what it is in terms of a modern democracy, how much responsibility will government agencies give local people, and what are the legal ramifications of that," says Dr. Nirmal Shah, Nature Seychelles' Chief Executive Officer.

"There are definitely lessons to be learnt from such projects especially now against the backdrop of the climate opportunities available to us," he adds. "Seychelles has also done work on the amount of blue carbon the country has. Next is valuing this carbon and selling it and making the country carbon neutral as a tourism destination. Nature Seychelles proved it can be done when it made Cousin Island carbon neutral."