Assessing the effectiveness of management of marine protected areas in Kenya: Experiences from the Mombasa marine park and reserve

Abstract

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are reported to be effective means of managing coral reefs; consequently, many developing countries have established MPA programs. However, whether these MPAs are successful measured against their stated objectives has rarely been assessed. An assessment of the management effectiveness of Kenya’s youngest MPA, the Mombasa Marine National park and reserve, was conducted using biophysical, socio-economic and governance indicators including coral reef health, socioeconomic welfare and participation of stakeholders and the level of institutional support for the management of the MPA. Rates of recovery of coral cover and finfish biomass were higher in the marine park (no-take area) than in the marine reserve (restricted fishing zone) indicating that the marine park is making some progress towards meeting the stated objective of biodiversity conservation. The marine reserve however, is not as effective in meeting the objective of sustainable utilization, because both coral cover and finfish biomass have not shown any appreciable increase after protection. The MPA and local communities are highly dependent on tourism and their financial stability was negatively impacted by factors external to the management of the MPA including ethnic violence and international terrorism. In addition the 1998 bleaching event caused high mortality of corals in the MPA; while the park is showing signs of recovery the reserve is not. Finfish biomass did not show marked changes after the bleaching. The MPA is adequately supported with national legislation, financial support and a management plan. However administrative instability within the management authority (the Kenya Wildlife Service) and conflicts of mandate with other national institutions such as Fisheries department has constrained the ability of the MPA to implement management initiatives.