East African coastal women adapt livelihoods

Across East Africa's coast, climate change, overfishing, and declining ocean health are threatening traditional fishing livelihoods. In Kenya, women like Mohammed Nurudeen and Beatrice Mwanyiro are turning to tourism, mangrove restoration, and other conservation-based businesses. The ReSea program, supported by Canada, helps women's groups build restaurants and nurseries. In Tanzania and Mozambique, similar efforts protect coral reefs and restore sea grass. Illegal fishing by industrial trawlers exacerbates the problem, costing the global economy an estimated $23 billion annually according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. At the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya — Mombasa, conservation groups urged African governments to ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, a UN treaty that entered into force in January 2026 and has been ratified by 81 countries. The treaty aims to establish marine protected areas in international waters and ensure fair sharing of marine resources.