Watamu Marine Protected Area Stakeholders Workshop
Good governance is critical for an ecosystem to thrive and support adjacent communities into the long-term. This is no less true for the Watamu Marine Protected Area (WMPA) and is an issue which is high on the agenda for Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
A section of delegates at the workshop
On 10-11th February 2021, A Rocha Kenya hosted a 1.5 days’ governance workshop for the WMPA at Turtle Bay Beach Club, Watamu. The workshop brought together 47 delegates from different sectors who have a stake within the WMPA. These included the local communities, government agencies, NGOs, academics, and business entities.
The workshop was meant to happen in March 2020 under phase II of the project dubbed Community Capabilities and Marine Protected Area Governance: Scaling up and Capacity Development but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The main outcome from the workshop was the development of a common vision in line with the WMPA Management Plan (2016-2026) with participation from delegates. It also presented an opportunity to strengthen partnerships among key stakeholders.
Delegates gave good feedback in terms of what they learnt, and they expressed their desire to be engaged on matters concerning WMPA conservation. The next major step from the workshop is to plan for a meeting with a newly constituted WMPA Management Committee to forge the way forward with the implementation of the WMPA Management Plan (2016-2026).