By Knique Okatch
Every year on 2nd February, the global community marks World Wetlands Day, this year guided by the theme ‘Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.’ The theme draws attention to a reality often overlooked in conservation debates: wetlands are living cultural spaces, shaped by the knowledge, values, and practices of the communities who have depended on them for centuries.
Kenya is home to a rich network of wetlands, including Yala Swamp, the shores Lake Victoria, the Tana Delta, Ewaso Narok, Lorian Swamp, the lakes of the Great Rift Valley and numerous seasonal wetlands managed by local communities. These ecosystems provide water, food, flood control, and climate regulation. Yet today, many face severe threats from pollution, unsustainable exploitation, land conversion, and climate change impacts.
Wisdom Across Generations
Long before modern conservation policies, indigenous and local communities had developed sophisticated systems for wetland management. Seasonal access rules, sustainable harvesting of reeds and papyrus, protection of fish breeding grounds, controlled grazing, and preservation of culturally sacred sites ensured that wetlands remained productive and resilient over time.
Yala Swamp, Kenya’s largest freshwater wetland, clearly illustrates the strength of this traditional stewardship. Communities living around the swamp used generations of ecological knowledge to determine when and where fishing could take place, how grazing should be managed, and which areas required protection. Cultural beliefs and taboos helped safeguard critical habitats, creating natural refuges for biodiversity whilst sustaining livelihoods.
Today, increasing external pressures such as upstream pollution, large-scale land-use changes, and the erosion of traditional institutions have weakened both the wetland ecosystems and community resilience. When traditional knowledge systems are ignored or displaced, wetlands become more vulnerable and conservation efforts struggle to succeed.
Bridging Knowledge Systems
There is growing recognition today that lasting wetland restoration depends on integrating traditional knowledge with scientific research, policy, and planning. Indigenous knowledge offers practical, locally tested approaches that enhance biodiversity conservation, improve water security, and strengthen climate resilience.
Nature Kenya’s Site Support Groups are playing a crucial role in making this integration possible. At Yala Swamp and other important wetland sites, these groups connect communities with conservation experts and decision-makers. Through documenting traditional practices, involving elders and youth, supporting sustainable livelihoods, and leading restoration initiatives, they ensure that conservation is both culturally grounded and locally driven.