IN LAMU, COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP AND BLUE CARBON MEET

Can climate action protect nature without excluding the communities who depend on it? New research from Kenya’s Lamu Archipelago offers an encouraging, but nuanced, answer. 🌱 Wyss Academy PhD researcher Simangele Sithole and colleagues compared carbon stored in seagrass sediments in a Marine Protected Area, a community-led Locally Managed Marine Area, and an unmanaged site. In the upper 30 cm of sediment, average soil carbon stocks were 89.16 Mg C per hectare in the protected area, 68.58 in the locally managed area, and 39.56 in the unmanaged area. The difference between the protected and locally managed sites was not statistically significant. For Simangele, this matters because conservation is “about more than drawing boundaries on a map.” The study found that sediment type was the strongest predictor of carbon storage, with seagrass cover and disturbance also playing a role. The findings strengthen the evidence base for conservation approaches that combine ecological knowledge with local stewardship. The research was supported by communities in Lamu, with fieldwork funded by WIOMSA - Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eaTxgqhB