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Deforestation and overexploitation of mangrove forests are affecting the livelihoods of millions of families that rely on their ecosystem services. Understanding local perceptions about the status and threats to mangroves is therefore crucial in addressing this issue. This research aims to enhance understanding of how sociodemographic factors influence resource use and perceptions of environmental changes through a questionnaire survey (n = 592 households) in five locations in Lamu County, home to 62% of Kenya's mangroves. The results highlight the variability of mangrove use, ecosystem service recognition, and perceptions and drivers of change across locations, which are influenced by sociodemographic factors such as gender, education, and occupation. Although 89% of respondents reported using mangrove products, only 56% were able to identify mangrove ecosystem services, with those without formal education being less likely to recognize them. Interestingly, 50% of respondents perceived an increase in mangrove cover, contrary to research showing mangrove loss in the area over the last decade. Results show that communities are diverse and perceptions vary between groups, suggesting that implementing uniform management measures may be incomplete or ineffective. Awareness campaigns and capacity-building efforts must be tailored to reduce misperceptions about the state of local resources and to address the specific needs and challenges faced by different groups. Recommendations made here are widely applicable to promote more inclusive and sustainable community engagement in the management of natural resources in developing countries worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangroves are effective carbon sinks, support coastal fisheries and provide wood and non-wood resources to coastal communities. They are threatened by natural and human-induced stresses including over-exploitation, conversion pressures, pollution and climate change. Understanding changes in this important ecosystem is essential to inform the sustainable management of mangroves and assess the implications related to the loss of ecosystem services. This study used global remote sensing mangrove forest data to quantify changes in mangrove cover in Kenya between 2010 and 2016 and applied the InVEST coastal vulnerability model to assess the implications concerning the provision of natural coastal protection services in Kenya. The results indicate that the annual rates of mangrove cover loss in Kenya were 0.15% between 2010 and 2016. Currently, 16% of the Kenyan coastline is at higher levels of exposure to coastal hazards but this could increase to 41% if coastal ecosystems (mangroves, corals and seagrasses) are lost. The study further identified that higher rates of mangrove loss are observed in areas at higher risk of exposure in the southern and northern counties of Kwale and Lamu, where monitoring and management efforts should be prioritized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hamza, A.J.; Esteves, L.S.; Cvitanovic, M., and Kairo, J., 2020. Past and present utilization of mangrove resources in Eastern Africa and drivers of change In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 39–44. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Mangroves offer natural coastal protection and are carbon sinks, playing a key role in mitigating climate change impacts. Despite their recognized importance as the main livelihood of many coastal communities in developing countries, mangroves are being lost at fast rates impacting overwhelmingly the poorest people. The pressures of changing climate and human activities urge a better understanding of the drivers leading to mangrove loss and degradation and the effects on coastal communities. A systematic literature search was undertaken to review the current understanding of how mangroves have been used through time in Kenya and identify the key drivers of change. Results from 32 articles identified extraction of wood for construction and fuel as the major use of mangrove in Kenya. Direct needs of mangrove resources are the major cause of changes in the mangrove areas and this is due to lack of harvesting plans. The paper emphasizes the need to identify ways in which changes in mangroves can become opportunities to improve coastal communities living conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]