CORDIO East Africa

25/04/2026

21/04/2026

🌊 Sustaining Community-Led Blue Tourism in Diani–Shimoni, Kenya 🌍

As the Blue Tourism Initiative (BTI) pilot phase approaches completion, the emphasis is shifting toward strengthening long-term sustainability and reinforcing local ownership. We are consolidating earlier gains and ensuring that community partners are positioned not only as participants, but as capable managers of their own tourism enterprises.

Key long-standing partners of the Kenya pilot—Kaya Kinondo Conservation and Development CBO and the Chale Boat Operators Self Help Group—have recently received targeted support in the following areas:

📌 Provision of operational assets
- Camping equipment
- Snorkelling and diving gear, including underwater cameras
- Boat safety equipment
- Laptops, operational materials, and branded communications tools

📌 Upgrading of operational infrastructure
Renovation of reception and visitor facilities to improve service delivery and strengthen day-to-day operations

📌 Resource mobilization capacity strengthening (in collaboration with the Wildlife Research and Training Institute)
- Proposal development and fundraising skills
- Identification of funding opportunities
- Alignment of initiatives with donor priorities and funding frameworks

Collectively, these interventions are designed to extend beyond short-term outputs. They contribute to stronger institutional foundations, improved operational readiness, and enhanced capacity for resource mobilization. Together, these elements support continuity, adaptive growth, and longer-term resilience of community-led tourism enterprises.

This approach is driven by the broader objective of the BTI across the Western Indian Ocean: to support inclusive, environmentally responsible, and economically viable tourism systems that strengthen the role of coastal communities in shaping and benefiting from the blue economy 🌍

17/04/2026

Advancing Coral Reef Conservation and Management in Kenya 🪸🌊

Our dive team, alongside researchers from KMFRI and KWS, completed a week-long survey across key sites in Watamu Marine National Park and Reserve, including proposed fish replenishment zones 🪸

This work updates long-term on benthic composition, coral recruitment, colony size and condition, and fish abundance—helping to close critical data gaps from the past five years and expand monitoring to new sites, building on contributions dating back to 2014 📊🐠

Funded by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the findings will strengthen upcoming IUCN Red List of Ecosystems ( ) assessments and support adaptive management of Watamu’s reefs—ecosystems that underpin biodiversity, fisheries, tourism, and shark populations 🦈🌍

We’re grateful for the strong collaboration and support from Kenya Wildlife Service (with special thanks to Watamu Marine Park Warden Mr. Willys Osore), Bahari Hai for logistics, Watamu BMU for coordination, KMFRI for dive support, and Extra Divers Dive Centre for their excellent service throughout 🙏

Complete dive team and support: Clare Thouless, Melita Samoilys, Karin Moejes, Diana Jepkoech Karan, Ni**od Ishmael, Dr. Juliet Karisa, Mohammed Omar Hamisi, Said Shee, Shadrack Zia, and Bwatumu Said.

19/03/2026

🌊 Strengthening Sustainable Fisheries Management in Kilifi Through Data, Mapping & Governance 🐟📊

Under the Empowering Coastal Communities for Sustainable Fisheries Management project (supported by Blue Ventures), CORDIO’s research team implemented a series of complementary activities across Kilifi Central, Bofa, Mnarani, and Takaungu BMUs within the TAMKIBO Joint Co-Management Area (JCMA). These included participatory fisheries resource mapping, community training in landing profiling, participatory socio-economic household survey , and governance assessment - each designed to strengthen community-led fisheries management.

Kenya’s coastal ecosystems are vital for livelihoods and biodiversity, yet increasing pressure from overfishing, habitat degradation, and climate change continues to challenge their sustainability. These activities aimed to generate the data, insights, and local ownership needed to support more effective and inclusive management.

🧭 Key Focus Areas:
✅ Training of community fish data collectors in landing profiling to gather baseline data on the status of the local fisheries, to support co-management efforts
✅ Participatory mapping of fishing grounds using SeaSketch, capturing local knowledge on fishing areas, gear use, and habitats
✅ Household socio-economic assessments to understand community livelihoods, fishing activity, food security, financial resilience, and resource use dynamics
✅ Governance assessment through inclusive focus group discussions, evaluating participation, transparency, accountability, and benefit-sharing
✅ Capacity building of enumerators and BMU members to strengthen engagement in data collection and decision-making

📊 What This Enables:
Together, these efforts build a comprehensive evidence base—linking spatial, fisheries, socio-economic and governance insights. This supports improved marine spatial planning, reduces resource conflicts, strengthens co-management, and ensures fisheries management is grounded in community realities.

🔑 Next Steps:
Findings will inform BMU-specific action plans, guide spatial planning and governance improvements, and support adaptive, data-driven fisheries management across the TAMKIBO JCMA.
With appreciation to BMUs, communities, enumerators, and partners whose knowledge and participation made this possible. Together, we are advancing community-led, sustainable fisheries management. 🌍💙

18/03/2026

🌊 Strengthening Coastal Conservation Through Peer-to-Peer Learning in Kwale 🐟🤝

CORDIO East Africa, with the support of Coastal and Marine Resources Development (COMRED), the Kenya Fisheries Service and the County Government of Kwale, recently facilitated a multi-day peer-to-peer learning exchange with eight Beach Management Units (BMUs) and community representatives from Kenya’s south coast. The activity was implemented under the Kwale–Tanga Transboundary Conservation Programme, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

The exchange brought together over 100 community participants – from both model and learning sites – to share practical knowledge, experiences, and innovations that support sustainable marine resource management and resilient coastal livelihoods. Building on earlier awareness and sensitization workshops, the learning exchange created a platform for fishers, women, and youth to learn directly from successful community practices, strengthening local capacity for conservation and sustainable fisheries management.

🧭 What the Learning Exchange Focused On:
✅ Sustainable fisheries management—including responsible fishing practices, co-design of modified gears, fish data collection, and participatory monitoring to understand the links between reef health and fisheries productivity.
✅ Mangrove honey production and value addition—with hands-on demonstrations on apiary setup, branding, marketing, and cooperative approaches to strengthen income opportunities.
✅ Governance and sustainable financing—covering financial management, BMU leadership, participatory decision-making, and mechanisms such as VSLAs to strengthen community institutions.
✅ Cross-cutting conservation learning— including development of cooperatives to support fisheries, product value addition and marketing, access to sustainable financing, and the successful formation of welfare groups to support community members
✅ Inclusive participation—ensuring women and youth gained practical skills such as ecological monitoring, safety and swimming skills for patrols, and leadership in conservation initiatives.

🤝 Expected Impact:
The peer exchange strengthened community knowledge, collaboration, and confidence in applying sustainable fishing methods and conservation practices. By sharing real-world experiences among BMUs, the initiative is expected to accelerate adoption of best practices, expand diversified livelihoods such as mariculture and mangrove honey production, and support more inclusive and participatory governance of marine resources. 🌍💙

CORDIO Staff: Caroline Njeri, Susan Onguru, David Mwandikwa,
Photo Credits (Majoreni): Peter Thuo, COMRED.

16/03/2026

🌊🤝 A Milestone for Tourism Stakeholder Collaboration in Kwale County, Kenya 🌍

Over 45 stakeholders from Kwale County’s tourism sector convened last week at PrideInn Diani for the 2nd Kwale County Tourism Sector Stakeholders' Forum, held under the Diani-Shimoni pilot of the Blue Tourism Initiative.

Facilitated by Sustainable Tourism Expert Judy Gona, the workshop focused on validating a proposed model for tourism sector coordination and governance in Kwale County. It follows the first Kwale County Tourism Sector Stakeholders Forum held in November 2025, where participants identified the need for a structured, inclusive platform to strengthen coordination across the tourism sector. The stakeholders comprised representatives from county and national government agencies, hotels and tourism operators, Beach Management Units (BMUs) and boat operators, community tourism enterprises, conservation organizations, academic and training institutions, business associations, creatives, and development partners.

The forum was officially opened by County Director of Tourism Paul Musila, who emphasized the importance of registration, licensing, and stronger cooperation among tourism operators to maintain standards and strengthen the sector.

Through breakout discussions and plenary sessions, participants reviewed and refined the model, leading to the adoption of a joint resolution. Key outcomes included:
✅ Endorsement of the Kwale County Tourism Council as a shared platform for the sector
✅ Agreement on an inclusive governance structure representing diverse tourism stakeholders
✅ Commitment to establish a Blue Tourism Fund to support joint marketing, MSME competitiveness, and sustainability initiatives
✅ Plans to launch a Learning Hub for training and knowledge exchange
✅ Initial steps to operationalize a working group and strengthen partnerships

The final resolution will be shared with the Kwale County Executive Committee for further input as the process moves toward formalization.

The forum was supported by CORDIO East Africa through the Blue Tourism Initiative, which works with coastal destinations to strengthen sustainable tourism governance and community participation.

09/03/2026

Successful Feedback and Validation Workshops in Tanga, Tanzania 🌊📊

We recently concluded a series of feedback and validation workshops with participants from the Boma-Mahandakini Collaborative Fisheries Management Area (CFMA) in Tanga, Tanzania. The workshops followed ecological, governance, socio-economic and fishing ground assessments conducted under the Kwale-Tanga Transboundary Conservation Project. Participants were also introduced to the concept of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures ( ).

The workshops began with a high-level dialogue with the District Fisheries Department, Mkinga, providing an opportunity to share preliminary findings and secure institutional support for the weeklong activities. Throughout the workshop, stakeholders —comprising community members from seven Beach Management Units within the CFMA —actively participated in discussions on governance, sustainable financing, participatory mapping, ecological monitoring.

We sincerely appreciate the support of Mkinga District Commissioner Mr Gilbert Sylvester Kalima, Tanga Regional Fisheries Officer Mr Issa Hatibu and District Fisheries Officers Mdogo and Ezra Katete. The success of the workshops would not have been possible without their excellent planning and assistance.

Special thanks to Mr Humphrey of Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park and the
Mwambao Coastal Community Network Tanzania, led by Ahmad Salim and Paul Mbandi, whose contributions enriched discussions and strengthened community mobilization.

The workshops provided a participatory platform to validate ecological, governance, fisheries, and sustainable finance findings, ensuring that interventions are locally grounded, community-endorsed, and evidence-based. Insights from these sessions will guide future conservation planning, adaptive management, and the development of practical strategies for marine resource sustainability across the Kwale–Tanga transboundary area.

We are grateful to all participants for their time, flexibility, and commitment, which were key to the success of this collaborative initiative. The validated findings will now be integrated into updated workshop reports to inform subsequent implementation and planning.

Together, we are strengthening community-led stewardship and sustainable management of coastal and marine biodiversity in Kenya and Tanzania. 🌿🤝🌊

Many thanks to International Climate Initiative and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for funding support.

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27/02/2026

📢New Publication Alert | Call for a Global Climate Risk Assessment 🌍📘

“The world currently lacks an authoritative and up to date assessment of climate change risks.”

CORDIO East Africa Founding Director Dr David Obura has joined international experts in a call for a global assessment of avoidable climate change risks. The call to action is published in the Nature journal and led by Professor Rowan Sutton and Professor Peter Stott of the Met Office.

The experts highlight a critical gap in the global climate action architecture. While assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have advanced understanding of climate science and impacts 📊, no internationally mandated and regularly updated global assessment of avoidable climate change risks currently exists.

Such an assessment would:
🔎 Clarify the scale and severity of potential risks
🌍 Identify populations and regions most exposed and vulnerable
🛡️ Inform timely action to prevent the most severe outcomes

An authoritative and transparent global risk assessment is essential to strengthen decision making, guide investment in resilience and mitigation, and support informed public engagement at a pivotal moment for climate action.

Read the commentary in Nature 📄
https: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00544-6

Read the full press release here 📰
https://cordioea.net/global-climate-change-risk-assessment/

To understand the urgency of emissions reductions, policymakers and citizens need a full analysis of what is at stake.

27/02/2026

🪸 Advancing the National Coral Reef Assessment for Madagascar 🌊

Last week, CORDIO's Coral Reefs Program team joined forces with Madagascar's Marine Sciences & Resources Institute (IHSM) and the Madagascar Coral Reef Network (MCRN) to validate the results of the country's National Coral Reef Assessment ( ). 🪸🌊

The workshop brought together key stakeholders responsible for managing, conserving, and sustainably using Madagascar’s coral reefs — spanning government, research institutions, NGOs, and the private sector. 🤝

Through focused group discussions, participants:
✅ Provided detailed technical feedback
✅ Validated findings and suggested refinements
✅ Recommended engaging additional partners to strengthen verification

A key takeaway? 📊 The assessment revealed significant data gaps — particularly in the East and North compared to the West of the island. Participants committed to mobilizing additional datasets from their networks, including formalizing data-sharing agreements and securing permissions to ensure stronger national representation.

As the ( ) reassessment progresses, this shared commitment strengthens a rigorous, science-driven framework to deliver timely, evidence-based strategies for coral reef management across Madagascar — directly supporting national biodiversity targets. 🌱🐠

🙏 Many thanks to the MSC Foundation and IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa for supporting this effort, within Global Affairs Canada's | Affaires mondiales ReSea Project ESARO.

Madagascar🇲🇬,

26/02/2026

🌊 Co-Designing Solutions for Community-Led Conservation in Munje 🐟✨

CORDIO Researcher Caroline Njeri led a three-day engagement with Munje BMU and community conservation groups to jointly design practical, community-driven solutions for sustainable marine resource management and livelihood resilience. The activity, under the Kwale–Tanga Transboundary Conservation Programme, brought together the Bahari Youth Conservation Group, Nuru Njema SHG, Tunusuru Women’s Group and the Munje BMU Executive Committee, to strengthen ownership, participation, and locally led action.

The engagement built on earlier ecological, governance, and sustainable financing assessments that identified Munje as a priority site due to limited income opportunities, underfunded conservation activities, and barriers to participation for women and youth.

🧭 What the Engagement Focused On:
✅ Co-designing actionable interventions aligned with community priorities and conservation needs.
✅ Strengthening understanding of project goals, roles, and responsibilities to enhance local ownership.
✅ Identifying capacity needs such as data collection skills, proposal writing, website management, and livelihood diversification.
✅ Supporting peer learning—particularly through Tunusuru Women’s Group mentoring others in mangrove honey production.
✅ Developing a practical implementation roadmap grounded in community realities.

🤝 Expected Impact:
The initiative is set to improve technical skills, expand livelihood opportunities, and increase participation of women and youth in marine resource governance. By strengthening local capacity and financing pathways, the engagement lays the groundwork for more effective conservation outcomes and stronger community stewardship.

With appreciation to the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for funding support, and sincere thanks to the Munje community groups whose leadership and collaboration are driving sustainable change from the ground up. 🌍💙

05/02/2026

📢Press Release: A Bold Step Forward for Sharks and Rays in Kenya 🦈🌊

We are thrilled to finally announce the release of A Conservation Strategy for Key Threatened Sharks and Rays in Kenya. Three years in the making, this landmark strategy charts a bold, actionable path to reverse the decline of some of Kenya’s most threatened marine species.

Our sincerest thanks to the many diverse stakeholders who contributed to this milestone, to Milkywire and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) for funding support, to the Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) for facilitating our national consensus-building workshop, and to everyone else who championed the effort in one way or another. This achievement would not have been possible without you. 🙏🦈

🧭 What the Strategy Delivers:
✅ 19 priority goals and 79 actions across fisheries management, habitat protection, research, governance, and enforcement
✅ Strong emphasis on community participation, placing fishers and BMUs at the centre of conservation action
✅ Protection of critical habitats such as nursery, pupping, and feeding grounds through MPAs and locally managed areas
✅ Support for alternative livelihoods to reduce pressure on shark and ray populations
✅ Improved coordination among government agencies to strengthen compliance and enforcement

Sharks and rays remain among the most threatened marine species in Kenya, facing pressures from overfishing, bycatch, habitat loss, and weak enforcement. Species such as the Scalloped Hammerhead, Giant Guitarfish, and Whitespotted Eagle Ray—listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN—are among the most frequently caught, while others, like the Blacktip Reef Shark (Vulnerable, IUCN), have declined so drastically that they are now considered functionally extinct.

In 2023, the Government of Kenya released a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Sharks and Rays to tackle this growing crisis. The Conservation Strategy released today complements the NPOA, offering a practical, community-informed roadmap for turning conservation commitments into action. 🌱🌊

🔗 Read the full press release: https://cordioea.net/shark-ray-conservation-strategy-kenya/
🔗 Access the Strategy: https://www.cpsg.org/documents/conservation-strategy-key-threatened-sharks-and-rays-kenya