More than 60 delegates converged at the Reef Hotel in Mombasa on 30th November 2010 for a three days workshop dealing with issues that affect local communities in managing natural resources.

The participants in the workshop were empowered to co-manage natural resources in concert with various government agencies charged with the responsibilities. With the promulgation of the new constitution, members of various communities a cross the country are very much involved in management of natural resources for which they depend on for their livelihoods.

Speaking during the official opening of the workshop in Mombasa the representative from US Mr. Kevin Doyle said that the workshop was aimed to improve participant’s knowledge and provide for them with some of the necessary skills of establishment of natural resources co-management, in another statement Mr. Nigel Hunter also from US said since the Kenyan people have the new constitution that recognizes lands matters and defines what is public land and community land.

“Your constitution has opened doors for land conservation and management of community land,” he said.

Those who participated were drawn all from Ministry of Lands, Kenya Wildlife Services, Kenya Forest, Fisheries department, kibondo Trust, East Africa Wild Life Society among others including members of a community that was handling SECURE project in Lamu county.

Vice chairman of Shungwaya Association Mr. Mbwana Shee said construction of the proposed Lamu port will lead environmental degradation since that government has not involved all the stakeholders in considering hotspots for bio-diversity and the long-term sustainability of the natural resources of the area. He added that due to the construction of said port people will have to leave and there will be a lot of felling down of trees especially the mangrove.

Mr. Shee said the mangrove trees in the Island generate more oxygen both to human being and sea animals so destroying such will definitely affect their lives. This might be caused by poor land planning, unsustainable fishing practices and illegal logging.

The SECURE Project is aimed at securing land and resources right of indigenous coastal communities, to improve livelihood, and to support bio-diversity conservation and sustainability of natural resource management in the north Coast.

The project is been implemented by the ministry of Lands with the facilitation of by ARD, with collaboration with the Kenya wildlife Services-KWS- as well as various civil societies and the community living Lamu region