By Baya Kitsao
Kilifi County, Kenya: The thick green feature of the mangrove forest is what welcomes any visitor to the coastal line of Kenya. But the great feature that has been attracting tourists and also breeding sites for fish is facing extinction and destruction.
Mangrove forests act as tourist attractions because of the green scenery and sea life creatures like prawns, and turtle among others.
Areas like Mida creek, Kilifi Creek, Matsangoni, Malindi, and Ngombeni in the North Coast region have been having thick mangrove forests for many years but as of now, the destruction is now a threat to these forests.
Anthony Kingi who is a mangrove activist in Matsangoni noted with concern that if no action is taken then the mangrove forests will perish.
According to Kingi, he has been on the frontline in sensitizing the community to the importance of mangrove forests and their importance to the community.
Through his initiative, Kingi has been able to mobile the community to plant more mangroves in places where there has been much destruction.
The Matsangoni mangrove forest has been considered to be a tourist attraction since there are some floaters that are used by local and foreign tourists who normally visits and sea different kind of fish.
“I have been mobilizing the community in planting more mangroves but the challenge is that I don’t have enough resources to purchase Mangrove seedlings,” Kingi noted when interviewed by Talkafrica.
He further noted that the destruction along the Kenyan Coastline in the coast region is threatening the good environment witnessed many years ago.
The degradation of the Mangroves forests by human activities, breeding sites for fish, and other sea creatures now threatens the lives and survival of the ecosystems.
The mangrove forests have also been the source of rain along the shores of the sea and this might be the cause of the drought that is experienced in Kilifi County.
In Kilifi, the Mangroves get destroyed by people who cut and sell the poles in different parts of the county.
The tree has high-quality timber and poles to construct hotels and residential homes and also for carpentry for making different items of furniture.
Chairperson Mwambao Mangroove Conservancy group Mr. Kassim Shali said most destruction happens at night.
He said it is a challenge for them to protect the mangroves.
” Maya and Watamu areas have big, strong mangroves trees, targeted by the destructors who often cut them and transport the mangrove forests during the night,” he said.
The group is at the forefront to ensure they preserve the forests by influential people.
Mr. Shali said the degradation affected many sea animals leading them to migrate to other areas for safety.
He raised his fear of a scarcity of fish due to the destruction of their breeding sites.
“The mangrove forests are the best breeding site for fish, but if the destruction is going to continue, then there will be scarce fish soon” he
In an interview at the Kilifi Old Ferry, the chairperson said many groups that have programs in conservation have been rehabilitating the sea in areas where destruction occurred.
Mangroves have also been a tourist attraction site for many years.
Tourists worldwide always flock to the coastal region to enjoy the environment.
Most of them have been flocking to Watamu, Ngomeni, Ukunda, and Lamu.
Mr. Caxton Chivatsi of Careway Trust, a conservation group in Maya Island in the Ganze constituency, said they patrol the forest to protect them.
According to Caxton, mangroves are the breeding sites for prawns. However, the seafood is diminishing due to the degradation of their habitats. “Prawns breeds in these mangroves and fishermen have been benefitting by earning a livelihood out of the sell,” he said.
He urged the Kilifi county government to plan programs to safeguard the forests and conserve the environment.
Mr. Chivatsi said they have been arresting intruders cutting poles on the Island. Careway Trust is a community group formed after noticing the mangrove forests are perishing.
Kilifi County’s Chief Officer in charge of the environment, Miss Mariam Jeneby urged the community along the coastline to help protect mangroves.
She noted that the Kilifi county government plans to plant more mangroves in different areas to increase the forest cover. “The community should protect the forests and make sure that they are well-protected,” she said.
Conservationist Mr. Shallo Issa asked the community to unite and plant many mangrove trees. “It is a responsibility for everyone to ensure that the mangrove forests are protected,” he said.
