In support of Kenya’s Blue Economy initiative, the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) is developing a Marine Spatial Plan to drive marine and coastal sustainability and investment opportunities. The plan must simultaneously balance the human factor needs (marine-driven economies and livelihoods) with the sustainment and protection of Kenya’s important coastal and marine resources.
KMFRI, a state corporation established via the Science and Technology Act more than four decades ago, is mandated to undertake research into marine and freshwater fisheries, aquaculture, environmental and ecological studies, and marine research including chemical and physical oceanography. This is to provide scientific data and information for the sustainable development of Kenya’s innovative Blue Economy strategy. The Blue Economy is a wide-reaching strategy that includes traditional ocean industries (such as fisheries, tourism, and maritime transport), as well as new and potential activities such as offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, seabed extractive activities, and marine biotechnology and bioprospecting.
KMFRI’s Marine Spatial Plan will include Kenya’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is a 200 nautical mile area of the sea, seabed, and subsoil which extends beyond the country's territorial waters and the country’s coastlines. KMFRI is also looking at climate vulnerability assessments and projections, which will ascertain, for example, how shoreline changes might affect mangrove ecosystems (important for coastal health) over time.
Noah Ngisiange, a senior research scientist at KMFRI, under the Directorate of Ocean and Coastal systems, explains that one of the activities within the Marine Spatial Plan is to provide suitability assessments for the establishment of seaweed farming and cage culture zones, which are both relatively new fishing activities in the country that have a high investment potential.
Seaweed farming (introduced to Kenya in 2008) has developed into a sustainable and profitable industry in Kenya's coastal communities, helping to diversify livelihoods and adapt to climate change. Cage culture is a growing aquaculture investment area in Kenya which was introduced into the country in the 1980s but with the first commercial farm only established as recently as 2005. It’s a method of farming fish by enclosing them in cages or pens in coastal waterways, such as estuaries and bays. The cages are anchored in place, and fish are fed regularly and protected from predators.
Data-driven insights
However, it is difficult to provide an economic valuation of these zones. Investors need to see the full picture to enable responsible and long-term investment. This means having an accurate representation of the mariculture opportunities within these newer industries, including an understanding of the size of designated zones, optimal fishing spaces and the location of no-go protected areas.
KMFRI was introduced to Digital Earth Africa via the Africa Marine and Coastal Operations for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (MarCOSIO) project. MarCOSIO is hosted by the African Union Commission (AUC) under the auspices of GMES and Africa, and works closely in support of KMFRI’s work. The overarching work of GMES and Africa is to specifically respond to African needs with respect to the development of services for water, natural resources, marine and coastal areas, address the global needs to manage the environment, and ensure civil security.
Marie Smith, the Aquaculture and Fisheries Lead at MarCOSIO (and a Senior Researcher at the Council for Scientific Research (CSIR) in South Africa) says that she was eager to see how Digital Earth Africa’s tools and data products could support aspects of the KMFRI’s Marine Spatial Plan development.
Training sessions were held with a group of KMFRI scientists to understand Digital Earth Africa’s capabilities, in particular using the Coastlines service, and introducing participants to the Digital Earth Africa Sandbox environment. Digital Earth Africa exists to improve the lives of people across the African continent by translating freely available Earth observations data into analysis-ready and accessible information that will support sustainable development in Africa. The platform and services underpinning the program enable African governments, industry and decision makers to track changes across the continent in unprecedented detail. This provides valuable insights for better decision making across many areas, including flooding, drought, soil and coastal erosion, agriculture, forest cover, land use and land cover change, water availability and quality, and changes to human settlements.
“What we have found beneficial about Digital Earth Africa,” says Ngisiange, “is that it provides analysis-ready data products and services that are unique to Africa and which we can utilize on a day-to-day basis, aiding us in research and national activities. This differs to the products that we generally have access to, which provide a global resolution but not enough detail for our specific African regions.”
Using Digital Earth Africa’s data, in combination with other data and tools, has led to some exciting off-shoot ideas around real-world impact creation. One such idea is the provision of communication to local fisherman around optimal fishing areas which could be sent out as GPS coordinates via text messages. This would have a direct and positive impact on Kenya’s local fishing communities.
Next steps
“A further step is also to seek out funding to validate the outputs that we have obtained from the cage and seaweed suitability analysis. The model - using Digital Earth Africa - has given us the output and this must be validated on the ground,” says Ngisiange.
The Marine Spatial Plan is both important and timely, with completion planned for early 2025. The Marine Spatial Plan will enhance the country’s economic strategy reports, particularly as investors eye Kenya’s cage cultures and seaweed farming opportunities. A potential 300 km² of seaweed production yielding 18 million metric tons annually, is valued at $6.6 billion. The full value of cage culture is yet to be fully realized, particularly on a commercial scale and this is where the spatial plan will assist in defining the value proposition.
Additionally, a policy brief will be published and submitted to the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs. The goal of the policy brief is to guide decisions and the implementation of policies around marine and coastal conservation.