Mangroves & blue carbonMangrove restoration with DTB, Kwale
1,000,000 mangrove seedlings in six phases on the Kwale coast, April to October 2026.
Since April 2026, Furaha & Baraka Farms (FBF) has restored mangroves for Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) on the Kwale coast: 1,000,000 seedlings in six phases to October 2026, about 100 hectares, with seedlings supplied through the Mwatsumbo Community Forest Association. Across all its programmes with FBF, DTB has planted 2M+ trees on 526 sites in 22 counties.
- trees with DTB, all programmes, as of October 2026Source: FBF partner records, Oct 2026
- 2M+
- mangrove seedlings, Apr–Oct 2026Source: DTB tree planting report, Oct 2026
- 1,000,000
- Funder
- Diamond Trust Bank
- Implementing partner
- Furaha & Baraka Farms (FBF)
- Community partner
- Mwatsumbo Community Forest Association
- Location
- Tsunza Block, Mwatsumbo forest, Kwale County
- Planting
- Apr – Oct 2026, six phases
- Seedlings
- 1,000,000
- Species
- Rhizophora mucronata · Ceriops tagal
- Stage
- Planted
Overview
A million mangroves for the Kwale coast.
DTB's mangrove programme reached 1,000,000 seedlings in six phases between April and October 2026, planted in Tsunza Block of the Mwatsumbo forest on the Kwale coast.
Every phase is planned around the tide and the ground: species are matched to the zone they will grow in, and the creeks that drain the site are kept open.
Seedlings come from community nurseries through the Mwatsumbo Community Forest Association, and about 80% of planting participants were women.
The film
More than just trees
Diamond Trust Bank, partners and FBF mark DTB's one-million-tree milestone at Amref International University, November 2025.
The site
Mapped block by block.
The site is bordered and cut through by tidal creeks, so planting is zoned by tide and substrate and the channels are kept open: restoration must not block natural drainage. Rhizophora mucronata goes in the frequently flooded low and mid zones, Ceriops tagal higher up.
- Phase I · Apr 2026 · 400,000 seedlings · 39.8 ha mapped
- Phase II · May–Jun 2026 · 200,000 seedlings · 19.5 ha mapped
- Phase III · Jul 2026 · 100,000 seedlings · 9.0 ha mapped
- Phase IV · Aug 2026 · 100,000 seedlings · 10.2 ha mapped
- Phase V · Sep 2026 · 100,000 seedlings · 10.3 ha mapped
Phases I–V from FBF GIS boundaries; boundaries simplified for display. The map is view-only.
Progress
Six phases to a million.
- 2M+trees with DTB, all programmesSource: FBF partner records, Oct 2026
- 1,000,000mangrove seedlings, Apr–Oct 2026Source: DTB tree planting report, Oct 2026
- 100 haabout, derived at 10,000 stems per hectareSource: DTB tree planting report, Oct 2026
- 6planting phasesSource: DTB tree planting report, Oct 2026
- about 80%of planting participants were womenSource: DTB tree planting report, Oct 2026
| Phase | Period | Seedlings | Mapped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase I | Apr 2026 | 400,000 | 39.8 ha |
| Phase II | May–Jun 2026 | 200,000 | 19.5 ha |
| Phase III | Jul 2026 | 100,000 | 9.0 ha |
| Phase IV | Aug 2026 | 100,000 | 10.2 ha |
| Phase V | Sep 2026 | 100,000 | 10.3 ha |
| Phase VI | Oct 2026 | 100,000 | not yet mapped |
| Total | Apr – Oct 2026 | 1,000,000 | 88.8 ha (I–V) |
Phase VI was 90,000 Rhizophora mucronata and 10,000 Ceriops tagal.
Community
Raised and planted by the community.
All seedlings come from community nurseries through the Mwatsumbo Community Forest Association, so the money for each phase stays with the people who raise and plant the trees. About 80% of those taking part in planting were women.
Monitoring
Checked after every phase.
Each phase follows the same checks: a planting close-out with counts by species, an establishment check two to four weeks after planting, a first survival count after about three months, then yearly ecological assessments of survival, growth, natural regeneration and hydrology.
Carbon is modelled as indicative potential only. No credits are claimed until survival is measured and a methodology is independently validated.
Partner
In DTB's words.
“Based on services delivered so far, we are happy to recommend Furaha and Baraka Farms for tree planting and growing services.”
Gallery
On the Kwale coast.
Field work with community planters on the Kwale coast during 2026.
Partners
- Mwatsumbo Community Forest Association
Funded by Diamond Trust Bank. Implemented by FBF with seedlings and planting from the Mwatsumbo Community Forest Association.
Notes & sources
- Trees planted with DTB across all programmes: FBF partner deck, October 2026 (rounded).
- Mangrove seedlings, phases, species and the share of women planting: the DTB October 2026 tree planting report. Area is derived at 10,000 stems per hectare.
- Mapped areas: FBF GIS boundaries (KML), 2025–2026; Phase VI is not yet mapped.
- Gallery: field work on the Kwale coast in June 2026, during DTB's Phase II period; the photos are not captioned as DTB's site.
