Kenyan Fisher Restores Corals in Fished Site for 36 Years by Jennifer O’Leary

theWIOMSA magazine and the environment Issue no. 7 | May 2015 Making a Difference: Restoration of Habitats and Species - Experiences from WIO Region 1 United Travel Agency situated at Gizenga Street-Zanzibar is the most popular and experienced Air Travel Agents. Efficiently managed and well known for its promptness in attending to the needs of its clients and guiding and advising intended travellers of the most economic and convenient connecting flights to almost any part of the world. UTA staff also maintain close, friendly relations with their esteemed clients and ensure satisfactory flight bookings to various destinations. UTA believes in providing excellent air travel services. 3. A Fisher and Conservationist: Kenyan fisher restores corals in fished site for 36 years by Jennifer O’Leary 7. Restoration of Seychelles upland forest biodiversity contents By Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury, James Mougal and Denis Matatiken 13. Community-Based Marine Conservation Initiative in Coastal East Africa Lydia Mwakanema, Edward Kimakwa and Dickson Nyanje 16. Restoration of Mangrove Forests at Limpopo River Estuary, Southern Mozambique By Henriques Balidy and Salomão Bandeira 22. Wasini Community Rallies to Secure Its Future By Lionel Dishon Murage and Jelvas Mwaura 26. Mangrove Restoration: Sharing experiences By Bosire Jared 28. WIO Gallery Last word 32. Towards a Community-managed Future By Lawrence Sisitka 1 Making a difference: Restoration of habitats and species in the region - Experiences from the WIO region editorial The WIOMSA Magazine, The Western Indian Ocean, in common most of these actions are on a People and the Environment with the rest of the world’s oceans, relatively small scale they show the www.wiomsa.org is facing increasing pressure on the ways in which proactive interventions Issue No 7 marine and coastal resources, and can really make a difference. All May 2015 increasing degradation of critical the articles indicate that the people Published by: habitats. In particular, the nearshore concerned are already looking Western Indian Ocean Marine and coastal ecosystems are under at upscaling their work to have Science Association(WIOMSA) tremendous stress. There are many even more impact, and show that Guest Editor: causes for this decline, including the lessons learned through their Lawrence Sisitka overfishing, use of inappropriate experiences can be applied in many Production Editor: fishing technologies, insensitive other situations. Lilian Omolo tourism operations, extraction of Contributors: corals and coral sand for construction, What also emerges clearly from the Lawrence Sisitka and clearance of mangroves for articles is that this ground-breaking Dr. Jennifer O’Leary Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury mariculture and just for better views! work is being undertaken by some James Mougal of the poorest people in the world, Denis Matatiken Lydia Mwakanema This situation is likely to become even in Africa, considered by outsiders Edward Kimakwa worse as climate change, which is as one of the world’s most troubled Dickson Juma Nyanje predicted to have a particularly severe regions. We can only be proud that Des Bowden Jared Bosire impact on marine and coastal systems, such innovation is taking place here, Henriques Balidy begins to bite. While much effort is, and celebrate the achievements of the Salomão Bandeira Jelvas Mwaura and will continue to be focussed on diverse teams of people involved in all Dishon Murage preventing further damage whenever these activities. Stephen Mwangi Ndirangu S. possible, so much has already been Mwachireya S. lost that a more proactive approach The articles in this issue deal is needed. The establishment of specifically with: the restoration Cover Photo: Jellyfish Tree(Medusagyne community-managed conservation of mangrove forests in Gazi Bay oppositifolia) areas and the ecosystem restoration on Kenya’s south coast, and in the © Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury initiatives described by the articles Limpopo River estuary in Mozambique; Design and Layout: in this 7th issue of the WIOMSA coral restoration at Mombasa and Conrad Samanya, magazine represent the cutting edge of Kuruwitu in Kenya; community Readers are invited to send in such an approach. conservation on Wasini Island at the their articles for inclusion in the southern tip of the Kenya coastline; magazine to: secretary@wiomsa. org. Photographs for the WIO The articles all celebrate positive and restoration of natural vegetation Gallery are also welcome. The actions being taken by scientists, in the Mahé National Park, Seychelles. photos must be shot within the Western Indian Ocean Region. conservationists, fishers and The Last Word looks at the possibilities communities to redress the for a community-managed future for degradation of some of the most conservation in the WIO region, and critical habitats in the region. While beyond. FOR MEMBERSHIP CONTACT: email: secretary@wiomsa .org tel: +255242233472 www.wiomsa.org 2 A Fisher and Conservationist: Kenyan fisher restores corals in fished site for 36 years By Dr. Jennifer O’Leary (WIO Strategic Adaptive Management Programme Co-Director) Pascal Yaa has been fishing the reefs in the reserve of the Mombasa National Marine Park and Reserve (MNPR) since 1968 (before the MNPR was even established). As an octopus fisher, Pascal swims using a mask and snorkel and sees the coral reef on a daily basis. And what he has seen recently has disturbed him. He has witnessed fishers killing corals, and nets and recreational vessels (including commercial dive boats) crashing into 100+ year old corals. Fig. 1: Pascal talking about fishing and coral reefs, and on the reef with an octopus Photo: Jennifer O’Leary (both) What makes Pascal stand out from others who may other trash) from the reef every day to keep corals have witnessed these things, is that he did not just from being further damaged by lack of light (which stand by and watch: he took action. they need to survive). For 36 years, Pascal has been visiting over 100 According to Pascal, large coral heads typically coral heads in the fished reserve of the MNPR and take over 1 year to become moderately attached working to restore damaged corals. If a large coral and over 2 years to be firmly attached to the ocean head (typically the slow growing, massive Porites) floor. Pascal has kept records on coral growth has toppled, Pascal finds its base and rights it, rates and knows how long it takes for a large coral sometimes fortifying its position with rubble. If a to develop – and this can be decades. Swimming branching coral (like Acropora) has been damaged the reefs, it is very clear that the places where you Pascal takes the broken branches and inserts them see aggregations of fish are where there are large, back into the branching framework. Pascal removes healthy corals. nets and other marine debris (plastics, nappies, and 3 Fig. 2: Coral covered and being killed by a fishing net, and Pascal examining the dying tissue on a coral that has been newly toppled by either fishing or boats. Photo: Jennifer O’Leary (Both) From Pascal’s perspective, protection and Pascal’s fins are so old and patched that even the restoration is critical as he has seen first-hand what other fishers comment upon their poor status. But, happens when corals are removed from the reef. In I can tell you that even with such poor equipment, his own words, Pascal says, “Corals are the homes Pacal can outswim me – and I consider myself to of fish and other animals like the octopus. Sometimes be a very strong swimmer. I went out with Pascal to fishers with nets will kill an entire coral head to better understand a typical day of an octopus fisher. get a single fish. This means the fish will not come And I did learn about that, but Pascal also gave me back because their home is gone. I have seen a lot a coral-by-coral tour of the reserve. As a scientist of change in the reefs in Mombasa in my lifetime, who has been conducting research in the reefs of mainly loss of corals through damage by people, and MNRP and other fished and protected reefs in Kenya also too many sea urchins because the sea urchin for over 10 years, I thought I knew the reefs relatively predators are gone. And a dead coral is not the well. Pascal showed me sections of the MNRP same as a live one. When a coral dies, the fish and reserve that I had never visited with coral heads as octopus do not stay there, even though the structure large and healthy as those within the protected park. may remain for some time. Only live corals provide He also showed me quite a lot of damage and we the habitat needed for the animals we fishers rely on worked together to right several newly toppled coral for income.” heads (over 1 m wide) that day. It was an exhilarating Fig. 3: Pacal righting a toppled coral, and pointing to a coral with damage (white) but recovering from where he removed plastic trash that was covering it. Photo: Jennifer O’Leary (Both) 4 Fig. 4: Dead coral being eroded by sea urchins which have proliferated because of overfishing of their predators (typically the redlined triggerfish), and some of the fish catch from the MNRP reserve Photo: Jennifer O’Leary (Both) experience to witness the passion that Pascal has restoration efforts in fished reefs adjacent to MPAs. for this site, these corals, and for Kenyan coral reefs. The Mombasa MPA is also now taking stakeholders According to Pascal, the long-term solution is to the coral reef twice a year so they can understand training. “We need to train the young fishers about what the MPA is all about. We helped fishers corals and why they are important. Many of them understand the concept of spillover (fish moving out don’t know.

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