biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning

Determining the exact percentage of land and seas in Kenya covered by biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning as of March 02, 2025, requires synthesizing data on spatial planning efforts and their integration of biodiversity considerations, particularly Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), protected areas, and marine spatial plans. Kenya’s total land area is 580,367 km², and its marine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is approximately 143,000 km², totaling 723,367 km². Below, I’ll estimate this coverage based on available information, focusing on terrestrial County Spatial Plans (CSPs), the National Spatial Plan, protected areas, and marine initiatives.

Terrestrial Coverage (Land)

  • Protected Areas: Kenya has 23 national parks, 28 national reserves, and other conservation areas covering about 12.42% of its land area (72,890 km²), managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). These are inherently biodiversity-inclusive, as they prioritize conservation of ecosystems and species, aligning with KBAs (30 of Kenya’s 67 KBAs are within protected areas).

  • County Spatial Plans (CSPs): As established earlier, approximately 8-10 of Kenya’s 47 counties (17-21%) have CSPs utilizing KBA information. Counties vary in size (e.g., Lamu: 6,498 km²; Kilifi: 12,246 km²; Makueni: 8,009 km²), but assuming these represent a proportional land area, they cover roughly 98,000-122,000 km² (17-21% of 580,367 km²). Examples like Lamu, Kilifi, and Makueni explicitly integrate biodiversity hotspots (e.g., mangroves, forests), though coverage within each county may not be全面 (comprehensive) across all land.

  • National Spatial Plan (2015-2045): This overarching framework guides land use across all 580,367 km², emphasizing sustainable use and biodiversity conservation (e.g., water towers, forests). While it influences all counties, its biodiversity inclusivity is implemented through CSPs and protected areas, not as a standalone layer of coverage.

  • Overlap and Extent: Protected areas (72,890 km²) and CSPs (98,000-122,000 km²) overlap significantly, as many parks and reserves (e.g., Tsavo in Makueni, Arabuko Sokoke in Kilifi) are within counties with CSPs. Excluding double-counting, the combined biodiversity-inclusive coverage is likely 25-30% of land area:

    • Protected areas: 72,890 km² (12.42%).

    • Additional CSP coverage beyond protected areas: ~50,000-75,000 km² (8-13%, conservatively estimated from non-protected zones in the 8-10 counties).

    • Total: ~122,890-147,890 km², or 21-25% as a cautious range, up to 30% if CSPs extend further.

Marine Coverage (Seas)

  • Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Kenya’s MPAs (e.g., Malindi, Watamu, Kisite-Mpunguti) cover 857 km², or 0.76% of the EEZ (143,000 km²). These are biodiversity-inclusive by design, protecting coral reefs, seagrasses, and species like dugongs.

  • Marine Spatial Planning (MSP): The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Government of Kenya are developing a national MSP, supported by the “Strengthening the Blue Economy of the WIO” project. As of 2025, this plan is in progress, aiming to cover the entire EEZ (143,000 km²) with biodiversity considerations (e.g., KBAs like Kiunga Marine Reserve). However, completion is not confirmed by March 2025; draft phases may cover priority zones (e.g., coastal waters, ~10-20% of EEZ, or 14,300-28,600 km²).

  • Community Conserved Areas (CCAs): These supplement MPAs along the coast, motivated by reef health and livelihoods, but their extent is small and not fully quantified (likely <1,000 km²).

  • Estimate: Current coverage is anchored by MPAs (857 km², 0.6%), with MSP potentially adding 10-20% (14,300-28,600 km²) if partially implemented. Total marine coverage is thus 10-20% of the EEZ (14,157-29,457 km²), leaning toward the lower end given the MSP’s early stage.

Combined Land and Sea Coverage

  • Total Area: 723,367 km² (580,367 km² land + 143,000 km² sea).

  • Land Contribution: 122,890-147,890 km² (21-25% of 580,367 km²).

  • Sea Contribution: 14,157-29,457 km² (10-20% of 143,000 km²).

  • Combined Calculation:

    • Minimum: (122,890 + 14,157) / 723,367 ≈ 137,047 / 723,367 ≈ 19%.

    • Maximum: (147,890 + 29,457) / 723,367 ≈ 177,347 / 723,367 ≈ 24.5%.

  • Range: 19-25%, reflecting conservative (existing protected areas + partial CSPs/MSP) to optimistic (expanded CSPs + MSP progress) scenarios.

Critical Considerations

  • Gaps: CSPs are unevenly implemented, and biodiversity integration varies (e.g., zoning vs. detailed KBA mapping). The MSP’s full EEZ coverage is aspirational, not yet realized.

  • Data Limitation: No 2025 national report quantifies exact biodiversity-inclusive coverage, so this relies on extrapolation from known plans and protected areas.

  • Kunming-Montreal GBF Context: Target 1 (biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning) and Target 3 (30% protected areas by 2030) suggest Kenya is progressing, but current coverage falls short of 30%.

 

Approximately 19-25% of Kenya’s land and seas are covered by biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning as of March 02, 2025. This includes 21-25% of land (via protected areas and CSPs) and 10-20% of seas (via MPAs and emerging MSP), reflecting partial but growing integration of biodiversity into spatial frameworks.