EVALUATION REPORT Watamu Marine Protected Area Location: Kenyan Coast, Western Indian Ocean Blue Park Status: Nominated (2020), Evaluated (2021) MPAtlas.org ID: 68812840 Manager(s): Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) MAPS 2 1. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 1.1 Biodiversity Value 4 1.2 Implementation 8 2. AWARD STATUS CRITERIA 2.1 Regulations 11 2.2 Design, Management, and Compliance 12 3. SYSTEM PRIORITIES 3.1 Ecosystem Representation 17 3.2 Ecological Spatial Connectivity 18 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Evidence of MPA Effects 20 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Additional species of 20 conservation concern MAPS Figure 1: Watamu Marine Protected Area includes Watamu Marine National Park (dark blue, indicating that it is fully protected), Watamu Marine National Reserve (light blue, indicating that it is highly protected), and half of Malindi-Watamu Marine National Reserve (light blue lined; it is also highly protected). Watamu Marine National Park is a no-take marine refuge which provides coral reefs and a variety of marine species with total protection from extractive exploitation. The adjacent Watamu Marine National Reserve protects the estuary known as Mida Creek and allows limited fishing. The Malindi-Watamu Marine National Reserve, located on the coastal side of Watamu Marine National Park, also allows limited fishing. See Section 2.1 for more information about the regulations of each zone. (Source: Kenya Wildlife Service, 2015) - 2 - Figure 2: Watamu National Marine Park (pink) sees high visitor use. The Watamu Marine Reserve (yellow) is a Medium Use Zone. The portion of the Malindi-Watamu Reserve within Watamu MPA (olive green) is a Low Use Zone, with respect to recreational activities. (Source: Kenya Wildlife Service, 2015) Figure 3: Watamu Marine National Park (the fully protected zone of Watamu MPA) includes littoral zones (black), coral (purple), tidepools (light orange), subtidal rocky areas (orange), beaches (light yellow), sandy bottom areas (yellow), intertidal seagrass meadows (light green), subtidal seagrass meadows (dark green) and mixed areas (green). (Source: Kenya Wildlife Service, 2015) - 3 - Eligibility Criteria: Biodiversity Value (must satisfy at least one) 1.1.1 Includes rare, unique, or representative ecosystems. WMPA protects several marine ecosystems that support high biodiversity, including mangroves, coral reefs, rocky intertidal areas and subtidal reefs, beaches, and seagrass meadows.1 These ecosystems are representative of those found in the coastal areas of the Western Indian Ocean.2 Mangroves: Found within the Watamu National Reserve in Mida Creek, mangrove stands are an important sea bird haven as well as protection for numerous species of fish. Mida Creek is one of the most productive mangrove ecosystems on earth, with seven out of nine East African mangrove species found there. The total mangrove area is estimated at 17.5 km2 and is dominated by Rhizophora-Ceriops. The average stocking rate of mangroves in Mida Creek is 351,100 stems/km2, with a volume of 9,270 m3/km2. In addition to protecting the coastline against natural hazards, they also trap sediments and help build up the coastline against forces of erosion.3 Coral Reefs: In Watamu Marine National Park, coral is mostly found along the seaward facing slope of channels running through the lagoon. Patch reefs, 10-50 m long, are dominated by slow growing Porites heads separated by areas of sand and seagrass. Watamu Marine Reserve protects a fringing reef that occurs near-shore and continues outward up to 1 km off-shore.4 Coral cover is low in the Watamu Marine National Park, with only 4% live coral cover in areas near the lagoon to a maximum of 12% north of Coral Gardens and near Whale Island. Coral reefs are the least common habitat in the lagoon, covering just over .085 km2 of seabed. Watamu Marine National Park provides total protection from extractive exploitation for corals; the coral reef areas are the most popular tourist attraction in the Watamu Marine National Park.5 The scleractinian coral, Anomastraea irregularis, is a rare coral found in rock pools or at the base of fringing reefs within the Park. It is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN red-list and is provided total protection by Watamu National Marine Park.6,7,8 1 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 11. 2 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 15. 3 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 11. 4 Kaunda-Arara, B., & Rose, G. A. (2004). Effects of marine reef National Parks on fishery CPUE in coastal Kenya. Biological Conservation 118:1-13. 5 Cowburn, B., et al. (2018) The Habitats and Biodiversity of Watamu Marine National Park: Evaluating Our Knowledge of One of East Africa's Oldest Marine Protected Areas. Atoll Research Bulletin 618. 6 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 13. 7 Sheppard, C., et al. (2008) Anomastraea irregularis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008. Retrieved August 2020 from https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T133484A3767662.en 8 Cowburn, B., et al. (2018) The Habitats and Biodiversity of Watamu Marine National Park: Evaluating Our Knowledge of One of East Africa's Oldest Marine Protected Areas. Atoll Research Bulletin 618. - 4 - Seagrass: Subtidal seagrass is the most extensive habitat in the Watamu Marine National Park, covering approximately 40% of the shallow lagoon bed.9,10 Intertidal seagrass habitats have rich invertebrate fauna, as well as many sandy pools where juvenile fish and intertidal specialists live.11 1.1.2 Includes area of high species richness or endemism within the context of the biogeographic region. The northern coast of Kenya, where Watamu MPA is located, is rich with diverse bird life, fish, turtles, marine mammals, and unique coral gardens.12 The Watamu Marine Protected Area (WMPA) is located along the longest fringing reef on the east coast of Africa. Most of the area is dominated by coral reef and seagrass habitats, though Mida Creek has extensive mangrove forests.13 Coastal East Africa has the highest richness of seagrass species in the world with 12 species; 11 of these are found in Watamu, including the vulnerable IUCN red listed Zostera capensis.14,15 WMPA serves as an ecological refuge to an abundance of plant, coral, and other marine species due to its high local biodiversity inside its 10 km2 no-take Marine National Park area. For instance, humpback whales, dolphins, sharks, and rays seek refuge in this protected area. These top predators are important to ecosystems as they serve as indicators of the health of marine environments by identifying exposure and effects of pollutants over temporal, spatial, and trophic scales. Additionally, this area provides refuge to sixty-five species of aquatic birds, which reach numbers of over 6,000 individuals.16 1.1.3 Includes demonstrated historic or predicted ecological refugia. No known evidence. 1.1.4 Includes area important for threatened species (including those identified by the IUCN Red List or national legislation), keystone species, or foundational species. Important areas include migration pathways and breeding, nursery, feeding, or assembly areas. WMPA serves as a critical protection habitat for species that utilize the park for breeding, feeding, and nursery grounds and includes several species which are globally threatened. 9 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 15. 10 Kaunda-Arara, B., & Rose, G. A. (2004). Effects of marine reef National Parks on fishery CPUE in coastal Kenya. Biological Conservation 118:1-13. 11 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 15. 12 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine National ParK and Reserve. Retrieved 17 August 2020 from http://www.kws.go.ke/content/watamu-marine-national-park-reserve 13 Muthiga, N.A. (2009). Evaluating the effectiveness of management of the Malindi–Watamu marine protected area complex in Kenya. Ocean & Coastal Management 52:417-423. 14 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 15. 15 Short, F.T. et al., (2010). Zostera capensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010. Retrieved August 2020 from https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T173370A7001305.en 16 Kenya Wildlife Service (2015) Watamu Marine Protected Area Management Plan (2016-2026), p. 7. - 5 - In seagrass and coral reef areas, sea turtles are widely distributed along the Kenyan coastline. The government of Kenya has shown commitment to the conservation of sea turtles, an important flagship species in the marine environment. Sea turtles play important ecological roles as they directly and indirectly affect other marine species in the food web. Kenya’s maritime zones are designated as marine mammal and turtle Sanctuary where these species are afforded total protection where they can nest and forage.17 There are five species of sea turtles within the Kenyan waters: the green turtle (Chelonia mydas, EN/IUCN18), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate, CR/IUCN19), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta, CR/IUCN20), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, VU/IUCN21) and the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea, VU/IUCN22). All five of these sea turtle species are listed by the IUCN under Appendix 1 in CITES.23 A closed zone has been designated with the primary objective of giving maximum