Underground Explorers

Gazi Bay, located on Kenya’s southern coast, is a vital coastal ecosystem known for its extensive mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. Home to all nine mangrove species found in Kenya, the area has been the focus of long-term conservation efforts and carbon monitoring initiatives. As a significant blue carbon sink, the mangroves provide ecological protection and socioeconomic benefits to local communities, including through carbon credit sales. Despite this, limited research has explored the role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) in carbon sequestration within these mangroves. This project aims to enhance understanding of AMF and ECM diversity and their contribution to carbon storage. Sampling will occur in the Mikoko Pamoja conservation area, and will include disturbed, undisturbed, regenerated, restored zones, in additional to 10 permanent monitoring plots—totaling 42 triplicate samples. By analyzing environmental DNA (eDNA) from sediment cores, the project seeks to reconstruct historical patterns in mycorrhizal community structure and relate them to environmental changes and management interventions. These insights are intended to support effective conservation strategies and reinforce the bay’s role in global blue carbon dynamics.