Malindi Marine Park is one of the go to places along the northern coast of Kenya. It is super clean and void of plastics and other pollutants that endanger our beaches in this our 21st century. Malindi Marine Park became the first protected marine area in Kenya and eleven years later, the UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve Program identified the area as a Biosphere Reserve.
The marine park has diverse habitats, the most prominent being sea grass, mangrove, mud flats and varied coral reefs (patch to fringe). It also supports a large variety of marine species and also provides critical nesting sites for sea turtles, including loggerhead, green, olive ridley and hawks bill.
Communities and stakeholders living near and around the ocean and sea front take conservation efforts seriously and we find that it is among one of the cleanest with less pollutants since the collective effort and collaboration between the government and the local stakeholders play a major role in making it to be a popular tourist hub both for domestic and international tourists. This has led to empowerment of the locals through water sports, social enterprises and offering an opportunity for local guides to sharpen their skills.
I am passionate to always put Malindi Marine Park at the ecological map to spread out the importance of nature conservation since it also helps in a way mitigating climate change.