Mangroves and livelihood - An assessment o f livelihood projects in
the mangrove ecosystems along the Kenyan coast
Hamza Am ina Juma1 2, James Kairo1, Nico Koedam2 and Farid Dahdouh-Guebas2 3
1 Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, PO Box 8 1651-80100, Mombasa, Kenya
E-mail: amina i2002@ vahoo.com
2 Laboratory o f Plant Biology and Nature Management, Faculty o f Sciences and Bio-engineering
Sciences, Vrije U niversiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
3 Laboratory o f Systems Ecology and Resource Management, D epartm ent o f Organism Biology,
Faculty o f Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, B-1050 Brussels,
Belgium
The com bined pressure on fish e ry resources and critical habitats presents a challenge to co m m un ity
livelihood along the Kenyan coast. To co un ter declining fish ery and destruction o f habitats several
alternative livelihood activities have been initiated. These include ecotourism , m ariculture,
apiculture, and agro-forestry among others. The present study aimed at assessing the fe a s ib ility
and su stain ab ility o f ecotourism , m ariculture and beekeeping projects practiced in m angrove areas
in the Kenyan coast. Focus group discussions w ith project proponents, local interview s and online
Delphi survey w ith project stakeholders were conducted on projects fo un d in Mida and Majaoni in
the north; and Makongeni, Gazi and Wasini in the south coast o f Kenya. A to ta l o f 209 local people
were interviewed and 65% o f invited stakeholders responded fo r the Delphi survey. A SWOT analysis
identified the presence o f a healthy m angrove fo re st and su pp ort from local stakeholders as
projects strengths; and lack o f technical skills as a weakness o f the projects. D iversification o f the
livelihood projects was seen to be an o p p o rtu n ity; and illegal cu ttin g o f m angrove was found to be a
m ajor th re at to the projects. The study found sign ifican t differences in causes o f project failure in
the five sites. The study also established lack o f transparency and accountability, inadequate
m arketing, and lack o f co m m itm e nt among m em bers as some o f the factors co n trib u tin g to failure
o f these livelihood projects. This study provides recom m endations on how to im prove on efficiency
and effectiveness o f the initiatives so as to help in wise m anagem ent o f the mangrove ecosystem.
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