Along the shores of Marereni and Mida Creek in Kilifi, Kenya, local communities are bringing mangrove forests back to life by hand. They have planted more than one million mangrove seedlings since 2023 and plan to restore and protect 640 hectares of highly degraded mangrove forest. Women and youth groups are growing, planting, and protecting the trees. They are supported by a local NGO, Community Based Environmental Conservation, and California non-profit Seatrees. Collectively, they hope their effort will revive fish stocks and biodiversity on Kenya’s north coast and shield the coastline from storm surges. Mangroves also act as carbon sinks, mitigating climate change. The trees thrive in brackish waters, such as estuaries where rivers flow into the sea, or where rainfall moderates the salinity of trapped ocean water. Photos: Luis Tato/AFP submitted by /u/TheContinentAfrica [link] [comments]