Coordinating citizen science and local ecological knowledge in Kenya
Rhino rays, manta and devil rays and hammerhead sharks all show signs of localised extinction along Kenya’s coast. Without monitoring programmes in place, it is hard to gauge the true conservation status of sharks and rays. Boaz is collecting the data on these species groups that will be needed to aid Kenya Fisheries Services’ National Plan of Action for Sharks. To do so, he is harnessing the power of local ecological knowledge and calling on communities to join the effort through citizen science programmes.
Boaz Kaunda-Arara
I was born in Homa-Bay county in Kenya and received a BSc (Hons) in 1988 in wildlife management, an MSc (hydrobiology) in 1993 and a PhD (marine biology) in 2003. I am currently professor of fisheries ecology at the University of Eldoret and have also served as an adjunct professor at Memorial University. My research work has been at the interface of fisheries exploitation and conservation, trying to understand how fisheries affect the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems, especially the marine environment. In this context, I have studied movements of groupers across protected areas and examined fish...
Harnessing local ecological knowledge and citizen science for conservation of threatened sharks and rays
Our key objective is to apply information obtained from fishers’ local ecological knowledge and citizen science surveys for the sustainable conservation and management of threatened species of rhino rays, manta and devil rays and hammerhead sharks in Kenya.
There are no targeted conservation initiatives for sharks in Kenya. Sharks are important in socio-economic terms, but are also important for maintaining ocean health. Exploitation has increased their vulnerability, and rhino rays, hammerheads and manta and devil rays have shown evidence of localised extinction along Kenya’s coast. Lack of monitoring programmes increases uncertainty about their conservation status. In the absence of scientific evaluation and the shortcomings of fisheries data, fishers’ knowledge and citizen science surveys can be used to generate multi-species information.
More than one-third of shark and ray species are considered threatened with extinction. This threat is more severe in developing countries, where shark conservation is a low priority and where sharks provide a cheap source of protein to local communities. In Kenya, it is estimated from a recent survey that there are about 100 shark and ray species, of which 56% of shark and 61% of ray species are globally threatened with extinction. Some species, such as the scalloped hammerhead and the white-spotted wedgefish, are commercially extinct on the south coast of the country, mobulid rays are fast disappearing from the north coast, and sawfish are now considered totally extinct. The Kenya Fisheries Service is in the process of commissioning a National Plan of Action for sharks, but to be implemented effectively this will require data and information. Scientific surveys targeting sharks in Kenya are rare and fisheries data are incomplete or lacking, so knowledge of species’ conservation status is sparse, hindering conservation action. We propose to draw on fishers’ local ecological knowledge and citizen science input, through interviews and questionnaires, as rapid, sustainable and cost-effective tools for generating information. This will be useful for implementing holistic, inclusive and culturally appropriate conservation initiatives for threatened sharks in Kenya. The project will target the mobulids, scalloped hammerheads and rhino rays, which are some of the most threatened groups globally.
- To obtain information about the socio-economic characteristics (fisheries, values and uses), ecology (critical habitats, pupping seasons, aggregations) and governance (conservation measures, fisher participation) of threatened shark species based on fishers’ local ecological knowledge and attitudes.
- To apply citizen science surveys as a cost-effective and sustainable tool for monitoring the presence, abundance and distribution of shark and ray species, which is necessary for informing conservation action.
- To advise on the integration of the information obtained from local ecological knowledge and citizen science surveys into the conservation plans of threatened groups of sharks and rays, as proposed in Kenya’s National Plan of Action for sharks.