Beauty in the field: My journey restoring Kenyan mangroves

When Aldo Leopold said, “We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect,” I felt it. 

Right now, the world is facing severe challenges. A lot of people and communities around the globe are suffering the consequences of climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Through Youth Pawa’s mangrove eco-restoration project, we are working towards restoring degraded mangrove ecosystems here on the Kenyan coast. 

Rooted in the Ubuntu philosophy, we aim to create a healthier planet and empower the local people in the community to be better stewards of the environment.

Healthy ecosystems are indispensable allies as we meet these challenges. Protecting our landscapes and sustainably managing their resources is essential. However, increasing the protection and sustainable management of our remaining natural land and seascapes will not be enough – to benefit from the gifts of our ecosystems, the planet’s degraded territories must also be restored.

Being in mangrove ecosystems, where the ocean meets the land, you will realize that the beauty of those ecosystems doesn’t lie in the amazing pictures of the sunsets or sunrises, nor in the complex and tangled mangrove roots bolting out in the water. 

The beauty of it all is just being there in the moment, and realizing we are one of many species in those mighty biodiversity hotspots. These moments remind us that restoration or conservation is not about just planting trees but rather it is about reviving a community of species – of which we are a part. 

Each propagule is a promise of a brighter future, a stable coastline and a home for several marine organisms. The beauty of nature is that nothing exists alone. We are intertwined and our interconnectedness can be seen clearly in these ecosystems.

Steve Misati and one of the community members plant some mangrove seedlings. Photo: ZF Photography.

Another layer of beauty is the muddy affair of fieldwork.  The work in these areas often goes unnoticed, but it’s where the magic happens. There’s something profoundly beautiful about walking and working through the muddy waters, while hands are stained with earth, knowing you’re part of something bigger. 

We work by carrying mangrove seedlings from the nursery to the fields, making holes in the ground to transplant the seedlings, and researching the ecosystem like testing salinity and acidity levels. We also measure the topography or soil type to better understand the dynamics in the ecosystem so that we can make informed and better future decisions. We pour our hearts into engagements and training with the local communities and in our monitoring and evaluation exercises. All this shows how conservation is so integral to us. 

Honestly, the work is not just conservation; restoration is an intimate relationship with the planet. As Wendell Berry puts it, “The earth is what we all have in common.” In these moments, the sun, the sweat, the mosquitoes, and the occasional leech are minor footnotes in a larger story of renewal. 

Yet this beauty isn’t without urgency for protection. The work we do today prepares us to fight tomorrow’s unknowns, from rising tides to capturing carbon. It is a sheer testament to human perseverance and optimism. I’d say each acre restored is a step towards healing, not just for the environment but also for  humankind. We depend on these ecosystems. Restoration is a walk, a walk of resilience. The beauty lies here.Small victories matter.

A section of mangrove mature mangrove trees in the Mkupe Ecosystem. Photo: Steve Misati.

The beauty of our mangroves is a reminder that even in our most damaged and degraded environments, there is a potential for rebirth. 

I am obliged to remind us all that we’re not just conservationists when we are out there in the field. We are artists, painting strokes of green on a canvas of brown and grey. In this act, we find beauty, not just in what we see but in what we are trying to save and restore for future generations. 

After all, everybody needs beauty as well as bread. We need places to play in and pray in. We need nature to heal and give strength to the body and soul. Here, in the field, we find both beauty and bread, in the most literal sense, nurturing the earth as it nurtures us back.