( Nairobi 23 January 2023). Kiswahili speakers in East Africa have a newly invented word, "hewa kaa", meaning carbon credit – commodity villagers in Kenya's coastal village are selling to international corporates in lieu of their pollution. When asked what business these villagers are in, they say: "we are selling air."
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These villagers are part of Mikoko Pamoja, which means 'Mangroves Together' in Swahili. It is a pioneering mangrove conservation and village development project initiative in the villages of Gazi and Makongeni on the south coast of Kenya. This project aims to promote the conservation and sustainable use of mangrove resources to achieve the 'triple win benefits': mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity, and enhance community livelihood.?
Mikoko Pamoja conserves 117 hectares of state-owned mangroves, representing almost 16 percent of this ecosystem in the Gazi Bay. During the 20 years from 2013 to 2033, the project aims to protect 107 hectares of natural mangrove forests and conserve 10 hectares of red mangrove plantation established in previously denuded areas in the early 1990s.
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As a result of these efforts, Mikoko Pamoja became the first-ever blue carbon initiative in the world to sell carbon credits from mangrove conservation activities for community development, according to Equator Initiative. With most credit trading projects based on terrestrial ecosystems, this project decided to 'go blue', meaning they are conserving and restoring ocean-based carbon sinks such as mangrove forests.
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The carbon benefits from protecting and planting mangroves are substantial because mangroves retain carbon in their biomass and lock it into the marine mud. More than 1,500 metric tons of carbon per hectare are stored beneath the forests – that is more than eight times that of terrestrial forests, according to Equator Initiative – a product of UNDP.
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Plan Vivo validates Mikoko Pamoja to sell at least 3,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year over 20 years, 2013 - 2033. This sell arrangement is bound to generate annual revenue of approximately US$130,000. Forward-looking businesses buy the credits, NGOs, universities, and individuals, all looking to manage their carbon footprints while supporting people and nature.
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Dr James Mwaluma, a research scientist and oceans and coastal systems expert at KMFRI, says his institute is working in conjunction with communities on this mangrove project;-
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"...Not only are we replanting mangroves where others have been cut but also involving communities in selling carbon credit which we sell to the international community."?
He speaks highly of the Mikoko Pamoja project whose revenue from selling carbon credit is being ploughed back into the community building schools and hospitals.??
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Before the launch of Mikoko Pamoja, access to clean water and education materials in Gazi Bay village was a privilege for a few. The project has seen more than 30 percent of carbon credit profits in education, clean water supply, mangrove reforestation, and providing equal employment opportunities to the people of Gazi. Mikoko Pamoja has funded water pumps providing clean drinking water for several hundred children in primary schools in Gazi and Makongeni, benefitting nearly 5,400 people in the broader community. This has reduced the time and cost spent by villagers hunting for this vital commodity. The project has also seen the purchase of textbooks, sports uniforms, and other learning materials for 700 children.
Mikoko Pamoja is part of many community-based projects which are part of the Kenyan Government's strategy on Blue Economy aimed at unlocking the potential of sea-land opportunities in the coastal region for sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. This is also designed to create employment while conserving and sustainably using the coastal and marine environment.?
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With 640 km of coastline, Kenya is poised to harvest from the Indian Oceans at an industrial scale benefiting communities along the coast. Beyond villagers selling carbon credit to the world market and restoring corals that human and climate change have damaged, some are growing and selling crab meat while others are farming high-value fish.
Dr Mwaluma said among the many programs they have supported along the coastline benefiting youths are in Dabaso, where young people from this village are involved in growing crabs and producing crab meat that they sell in their own restaurant. Their customers are mainly tourists that visit the northern coast of towns Watamu and Malindi. They have created a business that generates an average of US$360,000 annually and has pulled them out of a vicious circle of poverty.
As a flagship project, Mikoko Pamoja's model is already being replicated in Vanga Blue Forest, 60 kilometres south of Gazi Bay, close to the border with Tanzania. This expansion of the model to Vanga will effectively triple the area of mangroves protected, and the number of carbon credits sold, translating into three times the revenue generated.
This good science, community buy-in, communal entrepreneurship and government support have been identified as building blocks of the project that could be replicated by other mangrove areas in Africa and Latin America. Regionally, since its inception, Mikoko Pamoja has consistently been sharing its experiences by exchanging visits with other communities from Mozambique, Madagascar, Gambia, Senegal, and Tanzania.
Mikoko Pamoja's work also contributes to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including no poverty (SDG 1), quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), climate action (SDG 13), life below water (SDG 14), and life on land (SDG 15).
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Why mangrove??
Mangroves, also called 'the blue forests', typically grow in the intertidal zone along tropical and subtropical coastlines and are among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. According to?Equator Initiative, approximately 75 percent of mangroves worldwide are concentrated in just 15 countries, and barely 7 percent lie in protected areas. These trees are essential for both human and marine life. They provide critical habitats for fisheries, acting as nurseries for fish during their early life stages. Tree debris and bacteria accumulate in the water beneath mangroves and are an essential food source and refuge for juvenile fish, while knotted mangrove roots protect them from predators. The essential role of mangroves sustains the fishing industry upon which 90 per cent of the local population depends for their livelihoods
Mangrove ecosystems also act as a buffer between land and sea. When strong waves churn towards land, mangroves diffuse their force and protect human settlements and the shoreline, reducing damage to infrastructure and preventing erosion. Mangrove forests serve as high-quality carbon sinks, a critical resource for climate change mitigation.
Mangroves protect water quality by removing nutrients and pollutants from stormwater runoff before they reach seagrass habitats and coral reefs.
The tree provides a nursery habitat for much commercial fish and shellfish and contributes to the local abundance of seafood.
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Its systems shelter a range of wildlife species, including birds and honeybees.
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