Sharks and rays are key components of healthy marine ecosystems. However, they include species that are highly vulnerable due to their slow growth rates, late maturity, and usually small litter size.
Kenya’s coastal communities have long depended on marine resources for livelihoods and food security. However, increasing demand for elasmobranch (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) products—both locally and internationally—combined with limited regulatory enforcement capacity, has led to unsustainable exploitation of sharks and rays.
In 2023, Kenya’s Fisheries Service developed a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for sharks and rays. The NPOA provided a strategic framework for guiding research, governance, monitoring, and public awareness to ensure the long-term sustainability of elasmobranchs. However, the successful implementation of the NPOA requires coordinated action across sectors and scales. To catalyze this participatory approach, a group of partners conceived a multi-stakeholder workshop to build consensus, promote ownership, and enhance collaboration among actors to conserve sharks and rays in Kenya.
The Conservation Planning Workshop
From April 1-3, 2025, a diverse group of stakeholders came together in Mombasa, Kenya, for a multi-stakeholder workshop designed and facilitated by the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG). The workshop was organized by CORDIO (Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean), KeFS (Kenya Fisheries Service), WRTI (Wildlife Research & Training Institute), KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), TNC (The Nature Conservancy), Ngomeni Beach Management Unit, the Technical University of Kenya, the University of Eldoret, and the IUCN SSC CPSG. The 43 participants included government officials from fisheries and wildlife services, fishers, traders, NGOs, the tourism sector, researchers, and university representatives.
The purpose of the workshop was to sensitize and build consensus on a shared conservation strategy for sharks and rays in Kenya, designed to support the implementation of Kenya’s NPOA, and focusing on a group of species that are globally threatened with extinction. The need for a coordinated and consensus-driven plan led to a very productive three-day workshop, where participants alternated between focused working group discussions, plenary reporting, and feedback sessions.
A shared vision and a path forward
As part of the CPSG process, getting all stakeholders to align on a shared vision is one of the key steps. On this occasion, the participants and their institutions have agreed on the following shared vision for 2050:
Kenya has nurtured thriving shark and ray populations by empowering coastal communities and integrating science with local knowledge to protect vital ecosystems.
Kenya imekuza idadi kubwa ya papa na taa wanaostawi kupitia uwezeshaji wa jamii za pwani na kwa kujumuisha sayansi na maarifa ya jadi ili kulinda maeneo muhimu ya kiekolojia.
The workshop concluded with working groups presenting an overview of the goals and actions agreed to, and a discussion on the way forward. The workshop’s main outcome is a Conservation Strategy Framework that includes:
A 25-year vision for conservation of sharks and rays in Kenyan waters;
The identification of 18 key issues relevant to their conservation;
19 goals for the next 5-10 years focused on addressing those issues;
79 actions recommending what should be done, when and by whom, to achieve the goals set.
These elements provide a coordinated roadmap to support the recovery and long-term sustainability of threatened shark and ray populations, recognizing their ecological importance and role in coastal livelihoods.
Why this matters for conservation in Kenya
Sharks and rays play a critical role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, yet their biological characteristics—slow growth, late maturity, and low reproductive rates—make them particularly vulnerable to overexploitation. In Kenya, aligning conservation objectives with the needs of communities and institutions that depend on these species is essential.
By bringing together a wide range of actors to agree on goals and actions, this workshop represents an important step toward translating Kenya’s NPOA into coordinated, on-the-ground implementation. The published strategy now serves as a shared reference point for continued collaboration and action.
The workshop report is now published and available here: Conservation Strategy for Key Threatened Sharks and Rays in Kenya.
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CPSG Facilitation team: Caroline Lees, Lucy Kemp, Lauren Waller
