marine life

Coastal and Marine Resource Development

We collaborate with communities and cities along the Western Indian Ocean to conserve marine life and create strong, long-lasting livelihoods.
woman smiling and holding cones

WHO WE ARE

The Kenyan coast boasts diverse marine ecosystems that support local communities and contribute to livelihoods and economic development. However, despite this significance, the region remains underdeveloped, with high poverty rates.

In 2006, three young Kenyans had an ambitious plan to nurture practical solutions to the challenges facing coastal and marine environments and the people who depend on them. 16 years later, this organisation, COMRED, has grown from six staff to a team of 20, driven by a shared mission. We believe through impactful solutions and partnerships, we can turn the tide for these coastal communities and marine environments.

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OUR WORK

man gardening

Thriving Communities

Coastal Kenya is rich in marine ecosystems that offer numerous benefits to communities who rely on it for employment, livelihoods and nutrition. We support coastal communities through various projects such as:

Coastal Kenya is rich in marine ecosystems that include mangroves, wetlands, coastal forests, estuaries, sandy beaches and dunes, coral reefs, and seagrass beds supporting marine and coastal species. These ecosystems maintain the health and biodiversity of marine and coastal landscapes and seascapes. Despite this, the Kenyan coast is one of the least developed regions of the country, with more than 62% living below the poverty line and most relying on the coastal and marine ecosystem for employment, livelihoods and nutrition. 

We identified an area of opportunity to support coastal communities that rely on marine resources for survival. Working with various partners and associations we ensure the delivery of impactful solutions for coastal communities and cities and conserve coastal and marine environments. Our focus is the Shimoni-Vanga Ecosystem and Malindi Ungwana bay, an ecologically sensitive area of global and national significance bordering the Southern coast of Kenya and Northern Tanzania.
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COMRED staff working on project together on the beach

Smart and Sustainable Cities

Recognising the vital role coastal cities and ports play in the socio-economic development of these regions, COMRED created a Sustainable Cities programme to address challenges such as spatial planning, governance of resources and policy in the face of climate change.

Coastal Cities and Port Development play a pivotal role in the socio- economic development of coastal regions and the prioritization of the blue economy agenda by Countries of the Western Indian Ocean region further affirms this. The rapid development of coastal cities has a considerable impact on the local ecology, and potential including renewable energy sources. 

Coastal zones connect land to sea and COMRED started a sustainable cities program to address challenges facing coastal cities and ports such as spatial planning, governance of resources and policy in the face of Climate Change. Additionally, this program complements our previous interventions in marine conservation and is designed to facilitate transformation of coastal cities to be smart and sustainable. 

The Cities program has commenced two flagship projects, Miji Bora and Bandari bora. These were implemented in Mombasa, while drawing key learnings from Durban, South Africa and Moroni, Comoros with the vision of expanding to other coastal cities in the region that face similar challenges.
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COMRED staff and participants participating in Voices for Climate Change

Climate Action

Through this programme, COMRED enabled women to better manage marine resources and benefit from them. It also mapped the indigenous knowledge system used by the community in conservation and climate-related interventions.

This program is supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Kenya through the Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) Program. The goal was to facilitate the collective action of women within Shimoni Vanga, enabling them to better manage marine resources and benefit from them. It addressed their need for inclusion in marine resource management and realized their contribution to conservation. It assessed the ocean literacy level of the women, trained and built their capacity on climate change, marine resource management, and techniques of value addition to their products. The seascape is home to indigenous communities, and this project also mapped the indigenous knowledge system used by the community in conservation and climate-related interventions.
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The Kenyan coast is a highly productive ecosystem that has everything from mangroves and wetlands to coastal forests and coral reefs. Despite this, it is one of the least developed regions in the country, with more than 62% of people living below the poverty line.

OUR IMPACT AT A GLANCE

147

COMMUNITY MEMBERS TRAINED ON FUNDRAISING IN ONE YEAR

15

Community Based Organizations & Beach Management Units AWARDED CONSERVATION & ENTERPRISE GRANTS

33

PARTNERSHIPS OF Community based organizations & beach management units CREATED

Get involved

VOLUNTEER
Take part in community and research activities, including beach cleanups and mangrove planting.
ENGAGE
Like, follow and share our content across your social media platforms and with your networks.
VISIT
See where we work and experience sandy beaches, lush mangroves and incredible marine life as well as local culture and cuisines.

Stay updated

Our annual newsletter highlights our program impacts and updates on livelihood and conservation activities and milestones.

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marine life
SOME OF OUR PARTNERS
Kenya Fisheries ServiceKenya Fisheries Service
World centricWorld centric
MaliasiliMaliasili
NORADNORAD
Blue VenturesBlue Ventures
iLab AfricaiLab Africa
University of WitwatersrandUniversity of Witwatersrand
University of Kwazulu-NatalUniversity of Kwazulu-Natal
Macquarie UniversityMacquarie University
Mombasa CountyMombasa County
KMFRIKMFRI
Indian Ocean CommissionIndian Ocean Commission
Funded by European UnionFunded by European Union
Kwale CountyKwale County
WIOMSAWIOMSA
Global Environment FacilityGlobal Environment Facility
UNDPUNDP
The Small Grants ProgrammeThe Small Grants Programme
Kenya Fisheries ServiceKenya Fisheries Service
World centricWorld centric
MaliasiliMaliasili
NORADNORAD
Blue VenturesBlue Ventures
iLab AfricaiLab Africa
University of WitwatersrandUniversity of Witwatersrand
University of Kwazulu-NatalUniversity of Kwazulu-Natal
Macquarie UniversityMacquarie University
Mombasa CountyMombasa County
KMFRIKMFRI
Indian Ocean CommissionIndian Ocean Commission
Funded by European UnionFunded by European Union
Kwale CountyKwale County
WIOMSAWIOMSA
Global Environment FacilityGlobal Environment Facility
UNDPUNDP
The Small Grants ProgrammeThe Small Grants Programme
Kenya Fisheries ServiceKenya Fisheries Service
World centricWorld centric
MaliasiliMaliasili
NORADNORAD
Blue VenturesBlue Ventures
iLab AfricaiLab Africa
University of WitwatersrandUniversity of Witwatersrand
University of Kwazulu-NatalUniversity of Kwazulu-Natal
Macquarie UniversityMacquarie University
Mombasa CountyMombasa County
KMFRIKMFRI
Indian Ocean CommissionIndian Ocean Commission
Funded by European UnionFunded by European Union
Kwale CountyKwale County
WIOMSAWIOMSA
Global Environment FacilityGlobal Environment Facility
UNDPUNDP
The Small Grants ProgrammeThe Small Grants Programme