Vanga Blue Forest
Vanga Blue Forest is a community-led mangrove conservation and restoration project based in southern Kenya. It was developed when the community of Vanga, Jimbo and Kiwegu villages saw the benefits that its sister project, Mikoko Pamoja, has brought to local people and the environment.
Social and Sustainability Benefits
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Developed By
The Big Picture
Mangroves store up to fifty times more carbon in their soils by surface area compared to tropical forests, and ten times more than temperate forests. This phenomenon makes the conservation of these coastal trees imperative in the bid to combat global warming.
How It Works
Mangroves are biodiversity hotspots and serve as nurseries for many reef fish species, crab, shrimp, and mollusks. They also form a buffer against tidal destruction and erosion. We are quickly losing coastal mangrove forest habitats to illegal logging. The poles are excellent for construction and are widely felled for firewood, threatening local livelihoods.
The Project
Vanga Blue Forest is a community-led mangrove conservation and restoration project based in southern Kenya. It was developed when the communities of Vanga, Jimbo and Kiwegu villages saw the benefits that its sister project, Mikoko Pamoja, brought to local people and the environment. Its aim is to provide long-term incentives for mangrove protection and restoration through community involvement and benefit. The project works to prevent deforestation of the local mangrove forest, as well community-based reforestation, with a total of 460 hectares of mangrove forest included in the project area. It also supports community development projects for the three villages, addressing education, health, sanitation and water needs.
