Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve

“We are delighted that Kisite Marine Park and Reserve has been designated a Blue Park. As Kenya Wildlife Service, we would like to thank all of our dedicated staff, local community, and partners for making Kisite a beacon of hope for marine conservation. This award only serves as motivation for us to work even harder to make Kisite a sustainable MPA that benefits both nature and humanity” - Paul Wambi, Warden of Kisite-Mpunguti

The Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve encompasses the unspoiled marine habitat around Kisite and Mpunguti Islands and is situated along the southern coast of Kenya. As Kenya’s largest marine protected area, and a popular tourist destination, the park is home to some of the most diverse and plentiful marine life seen in the region: 250 recorded fish species, 70 resident dolphins, 56 genera of corals, 10 species of mangroves and dozens of sea turtles, whales, seabirds, gastropods, and endemic crustaceans such as the coconut crab. The fringing and patch reefs, channels, seagrass meadows, and mangroves in the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve provide critical habitat to many ecologically and economically important species, which fuels the prominent, yet sustainable, tourism and small-scale, local fishing economy in the region.

The park has been recognized by the IUCN for its effective and comprehensive management efforts, using a range of SMART technologies in surveillance and wildlife monitoring efforts to further their mission of marine conservation. Designated as a marine protected area in 1978, Kisite-Mpunguti has successfully showcased its impressive biodiversity and management efforts over the decades. To recognize these accomplishments, the Kisite-Mpunguti Mark Park & Reserve was recently awarded a gold level Blue Park Award.