Marine Governance & Policy
Translating community-collected data into national marine policy frameworks. OAF presented findings at IUCN 2025, placing the Kilifi model on the global conservation stage.
With us and partners: IUCN · UNDP Kenya
Conservation without policy is just gardening. Oceans Alive translates twenty years of community-collected data and field experience into national marine policy frameworks - ensuring that what works in Kilifi shapes how Kenya manages its entire 270 km coastline.
In 2022, OAF delivered Kenya's first ocean co-management plan under new government guidelines - a legal document placing 150 km² under community stewardship. In 2025, the Kuruwitu model was presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress as a globally scalable blueprint for community-led marine governance.
The Marine Governance & Policy programme supports communities in generating the evidence that policymakers need, represents community interests at county and national government level, and advocates for legal frameworks that recognise community marine tenure across the Western Indian Ocean.
Partners
IUCN · UNDP Kenya
Programme
Marine Governance & Policy
Policy · Programme 09
“From 30 hectares to a global blueprint. Community governance can scale.”
- IUCN World Conservation Congress, 2025
Connected Work
Related Programmes
Community Co-Management (LMMA)
Kenya's first LMMA. 120 km² under a formal management plan signed in 2022, placing communities at the centre of marine governance. A landmark in Kenyan marine governance history.
Kilifi BMU Network
Connecting and strengthening Beach Management Units across Kilifi County to ensure fishers' voices reach decision-makers at county and national level.
Research & Monitoring
Ecological baselines, fish biomass surveys, and coral cover assessments. The evidence base that underpins every programme and every policy recommendation OAF makes.
Support This Programme
Your donation directly funds conservation work on Kenya's coast.