‘The Role of Community Based Organisations and Associations in Co-management of Forests in Kenya: The case of Mikoko Pamoja Community Based Organisation (MPCBO) and Gogoni-Gazi Community Forest Association (GOGACFA) in the Co-management of Mangrove Forest in Gazi Bay, Kenya’

STEPS Seminar with Charles Tonui, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Kenya. All are welcome to attend and no registration is necessary.

The Constitution of Kenya provides for people to contribute to the national tree cover target of 10%, and the forest policy and legislation (Act 2005; Draft Act 2016) acknowledges that forests provide essential raw materials for domestic and industries and a variety of non-wood forest products. It acknowledges further that community based organisations and associations play important roles in sustainable management, conservation and utilization of forests in Kenya.

The mangrove forest in Gazi Bay on the southern coast in Kenya is suffering from degradation and deforestation. Mikoko Pamoja Community Based Organisation (MPCBO) and Gogoni-Gazi Community Forest Association (GOGACFA) and partners including the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI) have responded by not only co-managing and co-conserving the mangrove forest through the Mikoko Pamoja project in Gazi Bay, but also by generating income through a carbon offsetting programme. They have achieved some success but also faced several challenges which have hindered effective and efficient co-management of the mangrove forest. Leveraging of institutional, policy, finance, and capacity building support to communities will improve their participation in the co-management of the mangrove forests in the Southern coast in Kenya.

Charles Tonui currently works as a research assistant at the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS). Charles’s academic background is in environmental planning and management. He participates actively in action research, policy analysis, planning and implementation of community-based adaptation and low-carbon development initiatives in the East Africa region. Charles is also a member of the research team on the STEPS Centre project Market-based mangrove afforestation and reforestation in Kenya and India.