Conservation efforts bring rich dividends

Kenya's fishermen maintain balance between use, protection of biodiversity

The community-led projects initiated along the Kenyan coastline to find a balance between use and conservation, and fishermen's needs today and their fate tomorrow, are bearing fruit.

As delegates from more than 180 nations gather in Nairobi this week for the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, with protecting biodiversity a major topic of discussion, these coastal communities have shown they are able to sustainably earn their living without overexploitation of living marine resources.

Watamu, a small town in Kilifi County about 108 kilometers north of the port city of Mombasa, boasts clean beaches, rich and diverse bird life, dugongs, turtles and fish, thanks to community-led conservation efforts.