Harnessing seagrass for marine biodiversity: community-led conservation and biodiversity credits in the Vanga Bay

Seagrass ecosystems are critical yet declining marine habitats that underpin coastal biodiversity, support fisheries productivity and deliver significant carbon sequestration services. Their conservation is directly aligned with the Sustainable Blue Economy agenda, particularly in coastal communities whose livelihoods depend on healthy marine ecosystems. This study presents the Vanga Seagrass Project in Kenya's south coast, a community-led initiative that integrates local governance, ecological knowledge and innovative finance to sustain seagrass habitats within a blue economy framework.

The project pursued three core objectives: (1) Conserving and enhancing seagrass-associated biodiversity; (2) embedding community participation and traditional ecological knowledge into formal conservation governance; and (3) developing biodiversity credit mechanisms as a sustainable financing instrument to fund long-term marine stewardship. The Vanga community established Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) to regulate access and reduce pressures from coastal development, destructive fishing. Participatory workshops and capacity-building programs were conducted to co-design governance structures and benefit-sharing arrangements. Baseline and monitoring biodiversity assessments were conducted to track species recovery, including fish assemblages and benthic invertebrates.

Biodiversity assessments recorded measurable recovery of fish and invertebrate populations within LMMA boundaries, demonstrating the effectiveness of community-managed protection. Governance structures and benefit-sharing protocols were successfully operationalized, fostering community ownership and compliance. The Project demonstrates that integrating indigenous knowledge, participatory governance and biodiversity credit markets can deliver both ecological restoration and economic resilience for coastal communities. This model offers a replicable and financially sustainable approach to marine conservation within the blue economy, while supporting community livelihoods.