Kenya is a region where mangrove ecosystems face ongoing pressure from urban expansion, altered hydrology, wood extraction, sedimentation, and declining water quality. Mangroves along the Kenyan coast are critical for fisheries, shoreline stabilization, and climate resilience, yet have experienced significant losses over recent decades. The five-day workshop convened 42 participants, who belonged to senior officers from the Kenya Forest Service, county-level environment directors, representatives from Wetlands International, WWF, IUCN, research institutions such as KMFRI and KEFRI, university academics, and members of the media, creating a multidisciplinary forum for shared learning and exchange grounded in national mangrove management challenges.

The training combined classroom-based sessions with two major field visits to restoration and conservation sites around Mombasa. Practical field exercises were conducted at the Mkupe Conservation site near Port Reitz, adjacent to the Dongo Kundu Bypass, where participants carried out zonation transects and examined changes in soil conditions, salinity, hydrology, and species distribution from the mangrove fringe to inland sand blanks. A second field visit was conducted in the upper reaches of Tudor Creek, including sites managed by the Bidii Creek Conservancy and Ceriops, where participants assessed both successful community-led restoration efforts and areas where mangrove loss had led to severe site degradation. Across these sites, participants analyzed biophysical and social factors influencing restoration outcomes, practiced sea-level elevation assessments, and discussed community engagement, land-use pressures, and livelihood interactions. Overall, the workshop strengthened participants’ applied understanding of CBEMR principles, reinforced the importance of conserving existing mangroves, and highlighted the need for careful site selection, long-term monitoring, and inclusive stakeholder involvement in sustainable mangrove restoration efforts.