Oceans Alive Trust

The founders of Oceans Alive Trust started our journey in marine conservation when we set up the Kuruwitu Conservation and Welfare Association (KCWA) in 2003. This was in response to the concerns witnessed and being expressed by local fishermen and women regarding the decline in fish stocks in the Kuruwitu region, in Kenyas Kilifi County. Oceans Alive was set up in 2016 as the next logical step in extending the influence of the Locally Managed Marine Areas movement in the region. Creating a network of similar community-based projects who could learn from Kuruwitu and collaborate with each other meant the Kuruwitu model could be leveraged to greater effect. Ecological recovery within the Kuruwitu marine protected area has been remarkable, and now serves as a globally important scientific reference of the benefits of local marine protection. It has inspired other communities to work with Oceans Alive Trust to establish LMMAs along the Kenyan coast. There are now 30 LMMAs in Kenya, ...