“As climate change, habitat loss, and overfishing increasingly affect marine ecosystems, supporting technical experts to address these challenges and increase the effectiveness of marine resource management has never been more important,” said Rebecca Goldburg, director of the environmental research and science program at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “This new class of fellows will join a cadre of previous recipients who are working to tackle the growing challenges of ocean conservation.”
Dr Kairo, fondly referred to as “The Mangrove Man of Africa” will be looking at how mangroves could be integrated into Kenya’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Research in Kenya and elsewhere has showed that mangroves capture and store huge stocks of carbon. This carbon risks being released back to the atmosphere when mangroves are degraded or their land is converted for other land uses; leading to global warming. As part of the project, Dr Kairo will train forest managers and communities on mangrove restoration approaches as well as measure the size, productivity, and biodiversity of mangrove forests in Lamu County, Kenya.. This information could influence how mangroves are valued, managed, and protected in Kenya.
Dr Kairo is also one of the initiators of the award winning Mikoko Pamoja – the first community type project to restore and protect mangroves through sale of carbon credits. Sustainable management of coastal and marine resources is critical to realization of Blue Economy. Mikoko Pamoja is verified by Plan Vivo System and Standards to trade about 3000tCO2 per annum into the voluntary carbon market for a crediting period of 20 years (starting 2013). Revenue generated (of about KSh 1.5m per annum) is used to support community projects in water and sanitation, education, and environmental conservation. Local people make spending decisions democratically and investments have included the purchase of new schoolbooks, games kits, furniture and provision of water points. At least 73% of the 6000 resident population in Gazi and Makongeni villages rely on water points provided by Mikoko Pamoja.