Improved Conservation and Governance for Kenya Coastal Forest Protected Area System

This MSP addresses the sustainable conservation and management of one specific sub-set of the Protected Area system of Kenya: the coastal forests. Following Strategic Priority BD 1 guidance the project focuses on institutional support and capacity development for the stakeholders involved in the Coastal Forest Eco-Region, one of the world’s most threatened biodiversity global hotspots. The project works at landscape level, bringing together the varied institutional players (Government at central and district level, through wildlife, forestry, agriculture and community sectors, as well as private sector, civil society and communities themselves. The project uses the new opportunities offered by the Forest Policy and emerging Forest Act, emphasising partnership and community involvement. The project has two technical outcomes, the first piloting conservation processes in the Kwale District Forest Landscape around the Shimba Hills, with some 12 different Protected Areas of several categories. The second disseminates findings from this pilot activity more broadly within the forest sector of Kenya.