Mangrove carbon trade in Coast to be expanded
Newly Planted Plants at a Mangroove site in Mwakirunge, Mikindani Bidii Creek in this photo taken on 20th November 2021.
Plans are in top gear to expand the mangrove carbon trade to other parts of the Coastal region and boost the conservation of the ecosystems for communities to earn more than they are earning at the moment, Environment CS Soipan Tuya has disclosed.
A carbon credit is a kind of permit that represents one tonne of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere and costs Sh600.The trade involves companies or individuals abroad who are offsetting carbon in the atmosphere by investing in projects such as the growth of the mangroves, which absorb a considerable amount of carbon dioxide.
Currently, Mikoko Pamoja in Gazi and Vanga Blue Forest in Vanga are the only mangrove projects in Kwale County that are selling carbon units through the voluntary carbon market to international organisations.
Mikoko is the world’s first mangrove carbon credit initiative of its kind. The project uses the revenue generated in community projects in education, water, sanitation and healthcare.
Communities in Gazi are getting between Sh2 million and Sh3 million yearly, depending on the market, after selling 3,000 tonnes of carbon.
Ms Tuya said Kenya has seen the need to expand the carbon credits in a bid to not only support communities, but also achieve its target of planting 15 billion trees in the next 10 years.
Currently, mangroves grow along the coastline in Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu and Tana River counties, covering 61,000 hectares, but they are critically endangered as some residents cut them for charcoal and construction.
Speaking in Kwale County last week, Ms Tuya said her ministry will work closely with the council of governors to boost mangrove conservation.
The CS also cited the high demand for carbon from international organisations. “Mangroves form the largest carbon sinks (absorb carbon dioxide) and we must protect this ecosystem. The mangrove carbon project is good and of critical importance. As a government, we will work towards seeing that the same is replicated in other communities outside Kwale,” she explained.
Ms Tuya added that the expansion of the carbon trade to other counties is also set to empower youth and women-led conservation projects even as the country seeks to achieve its forest cover goal.
She said the government will put in place policies and laws that allow suitable practices in the carbon credit business, which will double up as a climate change mitigation plan. “Our country is already experiencing climate change impacts such as the rising Rift Valley lakes and erratic weather patterns. If we continue with business as usual, the situation is going to get worse,” she said.
Researchers from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) had already identified Lamu, which hosts the highest number of mangroves in the country, as the next destination for the carbon trade business.
Dr James Kairu from KMFRI said Kenya should implement the National Mangrove Management plan, which will address biodiversity loss, human development inequalities and carbon capture. Msambweni MP Feisal Bader said Kenya has the opportunity to triple its gains from the carbon market if the conservation of mangroves is expanded. The formation of mangrove management committees in the coastal counties is ongoing.
