The conservation of the marine environment is an integral part of the broader initiatives of environmental conservation in Kenya. A major motivation for the delineatio n of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Kenya has been the promotion of tourism and also the need to conserve marine bio-diversity for use by posterity. However, the conservation of marine resources in Kenya has led to certain resource use conflicts between national conservation agencies like the Kenya Wildlife Service and local communities. The study reported in this paper sought to examine the economic implications of the Mombasa Marine Park on a local fishing community, and thus provide an insight into the factors that lead to such conflicts.
In the study, catch related variables pertaining to the marine protected area are found to be significant. At the same time, attitudes of local fishermen towards the establishment of the Park are found to be extremely negative. The reasons for this included park establishment procedures as well as the lack of alternative sources of income for the communities displaced from the area now managed as a park. This paper recommends that in establishing an MPA in a developing and demographically dynamic country like Kenya, conservation authorities should be well aware of and integrate existing traditional systems of resource’s use into modern management practice. This may be achieved through a multi-disciplinary approach to the varied issues related to the establishment and management of MPAs. This approach should build the capacity for active management of any conflict related to the use of resources that may arise.