Go Blue Beach Clean-Up

Name: Go Blue Beach Clean-Up
Start: 2022-10-26
End: 2022-10-26
Location: Kenya

26 October 2022

Mombasa, Kenya

Overview

Go Blue Component 2 Activities

The UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 calls for action to ‘Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’ and specifically target 14.1 that states ‘By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution’. Kenya is in the forefront fighting against plastic pollution and is among the first countries in East Africa to have regulations and legislations that limit single-use plastics and sign the Clean Seas initiative to rid waterways of plastic waste. Nonetheless, bans and taxes on single-use plastics alone might not be sufficient to beat plastic pollution; therefore, additional measures that incentivize recycling, recovery, innovation, raise community awareness about the issue of marine debris, could prevent waste from entering the ocean.

For a holistic and effective approach to addressing environmental impacts arising from a combination of coastal development, pollution, urbanization, and accelerating climate change as well as for the development of the country’s sustainable blue economy, Kenya in partnership with the EU launched the Go Blue project.

UNEP and UN-Habitat are jointly implementing Result Area 2 of the Go Blue project “Connecting People, Cities and the Ocean: Innovative Land-Sea Planning and Management for a Sustainable and Resilient Kenyan Coast”. Under this integrated Land-Sea planning component, UNEP and UN-Habitat have activities addressing pollution through sustainable solid waste management in Taita-Taveta County and wastewater treatment in Mombasa County. Furthermore, under outcome 4 of the project, UNEP and UN-Habitat seek to enhance communication and visibility of the Go Blue project by documenting good practices. Key activities proposed under this outcome, are organizing beach and underwater clean-up events. This will aid in raising community awareness about the issue of marine litter. In addition to this, recording data on the trash collected can influence long-term solutions and decision making.

Beach clean-up

For more information on the Go Blue project, click here.

Land-Sea planning framework - UNEP & UN Habitat in collaboration with Jumuiya ya Kauti za Pwani (JKP), seeks to develop a regional integrated and ecosystem-based land-sea planning framework for JKP region for effective management of environmental impacts, arising from a combination of coastal development and pollution from, urbanization, blue sector development including fisheries, combined with accelerating climate change on coastal and marine ecosystems and ecosystem services.

Ecosystem valuation and vulnerability assessment - The key purpose of the proposed ecosystem valuation activity will be to document the value of the country’s rich coastal and marine resources in terms of ecosystem services and goods and contribution to local and national economy. Mapping and forecasting of current and projected impacts of climate change, coastal adaptation and mitigation options, to guide ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction planning, resilient and ‘climate-smart’ economic and infrastructure development

Public space – mobilizing affected communities and stakeholders to organize the realization of design features to upgrade coastal public spaces in Kilifi and Mombasa in a participatory manner.

GIS data centers - A regional information system and data center will be established that will serve all JKP (six GIS data nodes) counties to strengthen the capacity for data collection and information management.

Waste management- The project will support the upgrading of a solid waste recycling plant in Taita-Taveta and implementation of a wastewater treatment plant in Mombasa County as a way to address land-based pollution impacting the marine environment.

Blue carbon – This activity aims to protect and restore at least 1000 hectares of mangroves and seagrasses in Lamu county through the development of a carbon credit project. Additionally, it will encourage the implementation of the National Mangrove Management Plan and support the development of a sustainable mangrove harvesting plan in Lamu.

Marine Protected Areas – Under this activity, the project will support Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in creating an MPA for the Diani-Chale seascape and support locally marine managed areas through capacity building and trainings including monitoring and development of business plans for financial sustainability.

Innovation – The project will establish an innovation Lab together with the JKP Secretariat, that perpetually wires innovative solutions into its activities.