Changes in Mangrove Cover and Exposure to Coastal Hazards in Kenya

Amina Juma Hamza, Luciana S. Esteves and Marin Cvitanović ()
Additional contact information
Amina Juma Hamza: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole BH12 5BB, UK
Luciana S. Esteves: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole BH12 5BB, UK
Marin Cvitanović: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole BH12 5BB, UK

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: Mangroves are effective carbon sinks, support coastal fisheries and provide wood and non-wood resources to coastal communities. They are threatened by natural and human-induced stresses including over-exploitation, conversion pressures, pollution and climate change. Understanding changes in this important ecosystem is essential to inform the sustainable management of mangroves and assess the implications related to the loss of ecosystem services. This study used global remote sensing mangrove forest data to quantify changes in mangrove cover in Kenya between 2010 and 2016 and applied the InVEST coastal vulnerability model to assess the implications concerning the provision of natural coastal protection services in Kenya. The results indicate that the annual rates of mangrove cover loss in Kenya were 0.15% between 2010 and 2016. Currently, 16% of the Kenyan coastline is at higher levels of exposure to coastal hazards but this could increase to 41% if coastal ecosystems (mangroves, corals and seagrasses) are lost. The study further identified that higher rates of mangrove loss are observed in areas at higher risk of exposure in the southern and northern counties of Kwale and Lamu, where monitoring and management efforts should be prioritized.

Keywords: mangrove; land cover; ecosystem service; coastal hazard; exposure; InVEST; Kenya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1714/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1714/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:10:p:1714-:d:932343

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().