Workshop on Sustainable and Equitable Marine Stewardship
June 20-24, Malindi, Kenya
A project coordinated by Johns Hopkins University and the United Nations Development Programme
Workshop Description
1. Interdisciplinary lectures and knowledge exchange. Roundtable, lecture, and plenary session topics include marine energy; empowerment of beach management units (BMUs) and other community-empowering conservation and economic development entities; legal and institutional challenges and opportunities for coastal landscape and seascape management; eco-medicine (TCIM) rooted in coastal and marine biodiversity; risks of marine plastics and solutions; the use of eDNA and remote sensing for marine and coastal conservation, and; spatial data and AI for coastal ecosystem management including protected forests and mangrove ecosystems.
2. Team projects. Participants form interdisciplinary teams at the Malindi workshop to develop specific workshops that will extend beyond the week of the workshop. Teams develop fundable grant proposals, op-ed statements on marine sustainability, marine and coastal issue business or conservation datasets, and new cross-sectoral/public-private-academic partnerships.
3. Community-based exploration. A field trip and international community brought together during the workshop connects participants, lessons, and their team projects to the Indian Ocean ecosystem and its rich culture, biodiversity, energy and food systems opportunities.
For Summer 2026, this workshop is by invitation, with 7 – 8 facilitators and 16 – 18 participants in dialog to understand, and shape research, policy, economic development, communication, and other outcomes to add to efforts to sustainably manage marine and coastal resources. Invited participants are required to attend the full five day workshop for full team development of projects and presentations of their findings at the conclusion of the meeting. Participant check-in is during the afternoon of Friday, June 19. Checkout is Thursday morning, June 25.
Workshop Team
Co-conveners:
Nancy Chege, Kenya National Coordinator, UNDP GEF Small Grants Program
Daniel Kammen, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Justice, JHU and Director, Renewable Energy and Equity Worldwide (RENEW) Laboratory.
Staff and Policy Manager:
Ashley Chipkoror, Johns Hopkins University
Facilitators (partial list):
Dr. Belinda Archibong, JHU SAIS and Faculty lead, Development, Climate and Sustainability
Nyaguthii Chege, LLM, Board Chair and CEO, The Green Belt Movement
Dishon Murage, Kenyan coastal community-led cultural and biodiversity conservationist, notably partnering with Seacology to protect marine ecosystems
Dr. Jaqueline Uku, Chief Research Scientist at Kenya Marine Fisheries Institute (KMFRI)
Dr. James Kairo, Pew Fellow and Chief Scientist at Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI).
Dr. Izael da Silva, Director of the Strathmore Energy Research Centre and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Strathmore University
Mercy Mahanga, Coordinator, Coastal Women in Fisheries Entrepreneurship (CWIFE)
Dr. Arthur Tuda, Executive Director, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association
Provincial Governmental Officials from Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi Counties will attend various short-course sessions, as will officials form the Kenyan Ministries of Energy, Mining, the Blue Economy & Maritime Affairs, and of the Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry.
Required Reading
Mouna Chambon, Patrizia Ziveri, Santiago Alvarez Fernandez, Adrien Chevallier, Jean Dupont, Joey Ngunu Wandiga, Nina Wambiji, Victoria Reyes-Garcia (2024) “The gendered dimensions of small-scale fishing activities: A case study from coastal Kenya,”Ocean & Coastal Management, 257, 107293. [Link]
Chege, N., et al., SGP Ethnomedicine and Herbalist Traditions on the Kenyan Coast.
Kammen, Daniel M (2024) “Don’t buy the greenwashing – we don’t need deep seabed mining,” February 4, The Economist Impact. [Link]
Kenya National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter (2022). [Link]
Kammen, Daniel M et al. (2023) Transformational Opportunities for People, Ocean, Planet. Chapter 5, Marine Energy and Transport. [Link]
Kiyuka, Patience (2025) “Africa needs to invest in science communication,” Nature 643, 1159. [Link]
UNDP (2026) “Forest health. Human health, “Increasing recognition of traditional medicine in Kenya for people and planet” [Link]
Oketch Fredrick Onyango, Judith Okello, Zipporah Muchiri, Samuel Mwamburi Chepkemboi Labatt, Everline Osir Owiro (2026) “State of mangrove biodiversity assessment in Kenya and the prospect of environmental DNA in strengthening surveys,“ [Link]
Xi Xi, Boniface Kinyanjui, and Daniel M. Kammen (2026) “Reducing Power System Costs in LMICs through Grid-Connected Green Hydrogen: Evidence from Kenya,” Environmental Science & Technology, (ES&T). [Link]
Recommended Reading and Resources
AltaSea: at the Port of Los Angeles is dedicated to accelerating scientific collaboration, advancing an emerging blue economy through business innovation and job creation, and inspiring the next generation, all for a more sustainable, just and equitable world [Link]
The UC Berkeley / Smithsonian Institution Moorea Biocode Project [Link]
Center for Justice, Governance, Justice, and Environmental Action (CJGEA) (3.11.2025) [Link]
Natural Justice (September 2025) Fisherfolk response to the national Fisheries Management and Development Bill [Link]
OpenEI: The Marine Energy Technology and Project Database [Link]
The Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science (Published by WIOMSA) [Link]
The World Health Organization Primary survey of Beach Management Units (BMU) in the Kenyan coastal marine fisheries [Link]
Maiyo ZC, Njeru SN, Toroitich FJ, Indieka SA, Obonyo MA. (2024) “Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the people of Mosop, Nandi County in Kenya,” Frontiers of Pharmacol. 14:1328903. [Link]
View Program Schedule
Participating Institutions
Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles Street
Olin Hall 328
Baltimore, MD 21218