MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 MALINDI MARINE PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN 2016-2026 www.kws.go.ke 1 MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 MALINDI MARINE PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN, 2016 - 2026 Planning carried out by MMPA Managers MMPA Stakeholders KWS Planning & Environmental Compliance Department In accordance with the KWS PROTECTED AREAS PLANNING FRAMEWORK i MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 Acknowledgements The Malindi Marine Protected Area (MMPA) Management Plan was developed through a participatory planning process involving a cross section of MMPA stakeholders, under the coordination of a Core Planning Team that comprised of representatives from the marine protected area managers, KWS HQ planners and Coast Protected Area Scientists and managers. Initial funding for the planning process was provided by the Regional Programme for the Sustainable Management of the Coastal Zones of the Countries of the Indian Ocean (ReCoMap) with co-financing from KWS. Plan review was carried out from September 2015 to March 2016 with funding support from the World Bank-funded Kenya Coastal Development Project (KCDP). Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) provided technical assistance through provision of marine research information presented in the plan. ii MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 Approval Page The Board of Trustees of the Kenya Wildlife Service has approved the implementation of this management plan for the Malindi Marine Protected Area On behalf of the KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE Kitili Mbathi Director General iii MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 Contents Acknowledgements ii Approval Page iii Contents iv Acronyms vi Executive Summary viii Plan Foundations xiii The Plan 2 Plan structure 2 Participation in planning 3 The Malindi Marine Protected Area 5 Area description 5 MMPA Purpose Statement 7 Exceptional Resource Values 8 Management Issues of Concern at MMPA 16 MMPA Zonation Scheme 21 Introduction 22 Resource Use Zones 22 Visitor Use Zone (VUZ) 24 Ecological Management Programme 29 Programme Purpose and Strategy 30 Guiding Principles 30 Targeting ecological management action 31 Conservation targets 31 Threats to conservation targets 35 Ecological management objectives and actions 39 Objective 1: Conservation of MMPA’s threatened marine species enhanced 39 Objective 2: MMPA’s important habitats sustainably conserved 44 Objective 3: Threats to MMPA’s critical components reduced 47 Objective 4: MMPA’s ecological components and processes are understood 49 Tourism Development and Management Programme 53 Programme Purpose and Strategy 54 Guiding Principles 55 Management Objectives and Actions 55 Objective 1: Tourism administration and management enhanced 55 Objective 2: Tourism support infrastructure developed and maintained 58 Objective 3: Tourism products and services diversified 59 Community Partnership and Conservation Education Programme 63 Programme Purpose and Strategy 64 Guiding Principles 64 Management Objectives and Actions 66 iv MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 Objective1: Community participation, collaboration and benefit sharing mechanisms strengthened 66 Objective 2: Conservation education and outreach programmes strengthened 69 Objective 3: Human-wildlife conflicts and natural resource use conflicts reduced 71 MPA Operations and Security Management Programme 75 Programme Purpose and Strategy 76 Guiding Principles 76 Management Objectives and Actions 77 Objective 1: A competent and motivated workforce deployed and maintained in MMPA 77 Objective 2: Stakeholders collaboration enhanced 80 Objective 3: Infrastructure, transport and communication equipment to support MPA administration enhanced 82 and maintained Objective 4: MPA Security operations enhanced 85 Plan Monitoring 91 The Plan Monitoring Framework 91 Plan Annexes 91 96 Figures Figure 1. Malindi Marine Protected Area: Regional Setting 7 Figure 2. Resource Use Zones 24 Figure 3. MMPA Visitor Use Zones 25 Tables Table 1. Plan structure, functions and contents 2 Table 2. Stakeholder participation in planning 4 Table 3. MMPA’s Exceptional Resource Values 8 Table 4. List of sighted elasmobranch in the Malindi-Watamu area. 11 Table 5. Allowable Activities and Uses in different zones 26 Table 6. MMPA Conservation targets, subsidiary targets, and KEAs 33 Table 7. Threats to MMMPA Conservation Targets 36 Table 8. Guide for building new seawalls or modifying existing seawalls 43 Table 9. MMPA office equipment requirement 84 Table 10. Ecological Management Programme Monitoring Plan 91 Table 11. Tourism Development and Management Programme Monitoring Plan 92 Table 12. Community Partnership and Conservation Education Management Programme 93 Monitoring Plan Table 13. MPA Operations and Security Management Programme Monitoring Plan 94 v MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 Acronyms ABF African Billfish Foundation AFZ Artisanal Fishing Zone ASK Agricultural Society of Kenya BMUs Beach Management Units CAMC Conservation Area Management Committee CAP Conservation Action Planning CBO Community Based Organization CCA Coast Conservation Area CDF Community Development Fund CITES Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CMS Convention on Migratory Species COBEC Community Based Environmental Conservation CORDIOEA Coastal Oceans Research and Development-Indian Ocean East Africa CPT Core Planning Team CS Cabinet Secretary CWCCC County Wildlife Conservation and Compensation Committee EMCA Environmental Management and Coordination Act ERVs Exceptional Resource Values FAD Fish Aggregation Devices FAO Food and Agriculture Organization GIS Geographic Information System GOK Government of Kenya GPS Global Positioning System GVI Global Vision International HQ Head Quarter HUZ High Use Zone HWC Human Wildlife Conflict HWM High Water Mark IBA Important Bird Area ICT Information Communication Technology ICZM Integrated Coastal Zone Management IUCN The World Conservation Union IZ Influence Zone KCDP Kenya Coastal Development Project KEAs Key Ecological Attributes KFS Kenya Forest Service KMA Kenya Maritime Authority KMFRI Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute KMMN Kenya Marine Mammals Network KPA Kenya Ports Authority KRA Kenya Revenue Authority KTB Kenya Tourism Board KWS Kenya Wildlife Service NMK National Museums of Kenya LUZ Low Use Zone MCCF Marine Community Consultative Forum vi MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 Acronyms MO Management Objective MOU Memorandum of Understanding MPA Marine Protected Area NEMA National Environment Management Authority NGOs Non Governmental Organizations PA Protected Area PAC Problem Animal Control PAPF Protected Area Planning Framework PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal SAM Strategic Adaptive Management SRS Senior Research Scientist SST Surface Sea Temperature TAC Technical Advisory Committee ToT Trainers of Trainers TPU Tourism Police Unit UNEP United Nations Environment Programme VUZ Visitor Use Zone WCMA Wildlife Conservation and Management Act WCS Wildlife Conservation Society WMPA Watamu Marine Protected Area WIO Western Indian Ocean WIOMSA Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association WMA Watamu Marine Association WTW Watamu Turtle Watch vii MMPA Management Plan 2016-2026 Executive Summary The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013 (The Act), requires each wildlife protected area (PA) to be managed in accordance with an approved management plan1. A key tool for shaping a PA’s future, a management plan serves as a framework for planning and decision making in a protected area. Protected Area management plans are developed in accordance with the guiding principles outlined in the Planning Framework provided under the Fifth Schedule of the Act and the KWS Protected Areas Planning Framework (PAPF). These planning frameworks provide guidance on the key elements needed for a successful management planning process. In line with the Act and PAPF, the MMPA plan has been developed in a highly participatory manner, incorporating and building on ideas from a broad cross-section of MMPA stakeholders. In addition, the plan adopts the MPA zoning scheme specified in the Act. The MMPA covers Malindi Marine National Park and half of Malindi Marine National Reserve2 and their adjoining areas of influence. Prepared in consultation with MMPA’s stakeholders, the MMPA’s management plan will guide the MPA’s overall direction for the next 10 years and will be reviewed in five years. The plan is expected to achieve the overall KWS functions as outlined under Section 7 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013. The MMPA plan has six chapters. Chapter 1: Plan Foundations, introduces the planning process and describes the plan’s functions, structure and stakeholder participation mechanisms. It also gives a general description of the MMPA and its purpose, key values and major issues of concern. Chapter 2: Zonation scheme, provides a zoning scheme that divides the MMPA into visitor and resource use zones. Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 form the bulk of the plan and presents the plan’s four management programmes. Chapter 7: Plan Monitoring, provides a plan monitoring framework. MMPA Purpose and Values The purpose of the MMPA is: “To preserve and maintain a representative area of the coral reef ecosystem together with the beaches which typify the Kenyan coast, for the benefit of present and future generations” The development of the above Purpose Statement was based on the stakeholder identification of the MMPA’s “Exceptional Resource Values” (ERVs), which were divided into four categories: biodiversity, scenic, social and cultural. The four most important