Home / Recent news / Mombasa workshop focuses on Kenya’s marine and coastal priorities for 30×30 and CBD COP17
Mombasa workshop focuses on Kenya’s marine and coastal priorities for 30×30 and CBD COP17
Home / Recent news / Mombasa workshop focuses on Kenya’s marine and coastal priorities for 30×30 and CBD COP17
Mombasa workshop focuses on Kenya’s marine and coastal priorities for 30×30 and CBD COP17
- Two days of the programme were set aside for drafting and validating Kenya’s proposed marine and coastal positions and negotiating messages for the national COP17 preparatory process.
- A full day was dedicated to launching the WCS-led Kenya Marine 30×30 Project, implemented with CORDIO East Africa, IUCN and WIOMSA, alongside a stocktake of ongoing and planned marine area-based conservation initiatives.
- Community-led and co-managed approaches, including Locally Managed Marine Areas and co-managed mangrove areas, were on the agenda as potential contributions to Target 3 through Kenya’s national OECM framework.
The WIO-C OECM Working Group-Kenya Chapter held the Joint WIO-C Kenya Coordination Workshop on 30×30, Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and CBD COP17 Marine and Coastal Biodiversity in Mombasa from 22 to 25 September 2026. The workshop was designed to bring together mandated government institutions, county governments, community representatives, research organisations and conservation partners to advance a coordinated national approach to marine and coastal biodiversity.
It was organised by a consortium of member organisations of the Consortium for the Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO-C): WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), CORDIO East Africa, IUCN, Fauna & Flora, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), COMRED, Natural Justice, Blue Ventures and WorldFish.
Beyond area coverage
Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) calls for at least 30 percent of marine and coastal areas to be effectively conserved and managed by 2030 through protected areas and OECMs. The workshop concept note stresses that this is not about area coverage alone: ecological representativeness, connectivity, effective management and equitable governance need to advance together, while respecting the rights and contributions of Indigenous peoples and local communities.
In Kenya, further expansion through the conventional state-managed marine protected area model is constrained by competing uses, governance realities and community dependence on marine resources for livelihoods. Community-led and co-managed conservation is seen as an important next frontier. Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), including community practices such as tengefus, are increasingly being integrated into the statutory fisheries co-management system through Beach Management Units and Joint Co-Management Areas (JCMAs). For mangroves, Community Forest Associations work with the Kenya Forest Service through participatory forest management arrangements.
JCMAs and co-managed mangrove areas could count towards Target 3 as potential OECMs where site-level assessment confirms their biodiversity value, governance, long-term security and conservation outcomes. The concept note is clear that OECM recognition should strengthen, not displace, community rights, existing mandates and locally legitimate management systems. This work sits within Kenya’s ongoing government-led development of a national OECM framework covering terrestrial and marine environments.
Preparing Kenya's messages for COP17
With COP17 due to take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026, reflections following recent SBSTTA discussions indicated that Kenya’s marine and coastal agenda was not yet sufficiently framed within wider national CBD preparations. The first two days were structured around technical briefings, thematic drafting groups and plenary review, with the aim of producing a validated package of positions and statements for submission into the national preparatory process. Sessions also covered synergies across the Rio Conventions, looking at how coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and other coastal ecosystems connect commitments under the CBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD.
Launching the Kenya Marine 30x30 Project
The third day was dedicated to the official launch of the WCS-led Kenya Marine 30×30 Project. The programme included presentations from lead government agencies on the legal framework for Target 3, the status of marine protected areas, mangrove conservation and community-led conservation, alongside partner presentations on marine spatial planning, protected area effectiveness and OECM assessment and governance. The day was also designed to seek government guidance on approvals and institutional arrangements for the project, and to map links with other partner initiatives.
Pathways for Target 3
The final day turned to how Target 3 can be implemented in Kenya’s marine space, covering policy and institutional frameworks, collective visioning for area-based management, opportunities such as JCMAs as potential OECMs and a seascape approach, and the development of a roadmap with actions, timelines and responsibilities.
Looking ahead
Under the concept note, a rapporteur and small drafting team were to consolidate the COP17 position, the partner stocktake and the OECM roadmap after the workshop for institutional review and onward submission. Alignment with national leads for environment and wildlife was intended to avoid parallel processes and ensure the outputs feed into the national OECM framework.
- Two days of the programme were set aside for drafting and validating Kenya’s proposed marine and coastal positions and negotiating messages for the national COP17 preparatory process.
- A full day was dedicated to launching the WCS-led Kenya Marine 30×30 Project, implemented with CORDIO East Africa, IUCN and WIOMSA, alongside a stocktake of ongoing and planned marine area-based conservation initiatives.
- Community-led and co-managed approaches, including Locally Managed Marine Areas and co-managed mangrove areas, were on the agenda as potential contributions to Target 3 through Kenya’s national OECM framework.
The WIO-C OECM Working Group-Kenya Chapter held the Joint WIO-C Kenya Coordination Workshop on 30×30, Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and CBD COP17 Marine and Coastal Biodiversity in Mombasa from 22 to 25 September 2026. The workshop was designed to bring together mandated government institutions, county governments, community representatives, research organisations and conservation partners to advance a coordinated national approach to marine and coastal biodiversity.
It was organised by a consortium of member organisations of the Consortium for the Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO-C): WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), CORDIO East Africa, IUCN, Fauna & Flora, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), COMRED, Natural Justice, Blue Ventures and WorldFish.
Beyond area coverage
Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) calls for at least 30 percent of marine and coastal areas to be effectively conserved and managed by 2030 through protected areas and OECMs. The workshop concept note stresses that this is not about area coverage alone: ecological representativeness, connectivity, effective management and equitable governance need to advance together, while respecting the rights and contributions of Indigenous peoples and local communities.
In Kenya, further expansion through the conventional state-managed marine protected area model is constrained by competing uses, governance realities and community dependence on marine resources for livelihoods. Community-led and co-managed conservation is seen as an important next frontier. Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), including community practices such as tengefus, are increasingly being integrated into the statutory fisheries co-management system through Beach Management Units and Joint Co-Management Areas (JCMAs). For mangroves, Community Forest Associations work with the Kenya Forest Service through participatory forest management arrangements.
JCMAs and co-managed mangrove areas could count towards Target 3 as potential OECMs where site-level assessment confirms their biodiversity value, governance, long-term security and conservation outcomes. The concept note is clear that OECM recognition should strengthen, not displace, community rights, existing mandates and locally legitimate management systems. This work sits within Kenya’s ongoing government-led development of a national OECM framework covering terrestrial and marine environments.
Preparing Kenya's messages for COP17
With COP17 due to take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026, reflections following recent SBSTTA discussions indicated that Kenya’s marine and coastal agenda was not yet sufficiently framed within wider national CBD preparations. The first two days were structured around technical briefings, thematic drafting groups and plenary review, with the aim of producing a validated package of positions and statements for submission into the national preparatory process. Sessions also covered synergies across the Rio Conventions, looking at how coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and other coastal ecosystems connect commitments under the CBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD.
Launching the Kenya Marine 30x30 Project
The third day was dedicated to the official launch of the WCS-led Kenya Marine 30×30 Project. The programme included presentations from lead government agencies on the legal framework for Target 3, the status of marine protected areas, mangrove conservation and community-led conservation, alongside partner presentations on marine spatial planning, protected area effectiveness and OECM assessment and governance. The day was also designed to seek government guidance on approvals and institutional arrangements for the project, and to map links with other partner initiatives.
Pathways for Target 3
The final day turned to how Target 3 can be implemented in Kenya’s marine space, covering policy and institutional frameworks, collective visioning for area-based management, opportunities such as JCMAs as potential OECMs and a seascape approach, and the development of a roadmap with actions, timelines and responsibilities.
Looking ahead
Under the concept note, a rapporteur and small drafting team were to consolidate the COP17 position, the partner stocktake and the OECM roadmap after the workshop for institutional review and onward submission. Alignment with national leads for environment and wildlife was intended to avoid parallel processes and ensure the outputs feed into the national OECM framework.
The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership is a country-led initiative that supports the implementation of NBSAPs to collectively achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is co-chaired by Colombia and Germany, supported by the governments of Germany, Norway, Canada and France, and coordinated by a Global Coordination Unit hosted by the Secretariat of the CBD, UNDP and UNEP.
The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership is a country-led initiative that supports the implementation of NBSAPs to collectively achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is co-chaired by Colombia and Germany, supported by the governments of Germany, Norway, Canada and France, and coordinated by a Global Coordination Unit hosted by the Secretariat of the CBD, UNDP and UNEP.
