TANA DELTA DIALOGUE

The Tana Delta in Kenya is at a turning point. Designated as a Ramsar site since October 2012, the wetland is facing many challenges: is there enough land and water to accommodate all the projects envisaged while main- taining existing livelihoods and biodiversity? Can a solution to the conflict and resource issues be found? How can a truly inclusive management planning process be initiated and concluded? Important decisions about its future are pending but unfortunately there is a lack of understanding and appreciation of its val- ues and functions to guide decision making. There are also knowledge gaps to address. Collecting additional information on this complex system and exchanging scientific and local knowledge with the civil society, local users and to decision-makers, is the challenge that the Kenyan Wetland Biodi- versity Research Group (KENWEB) have set themselves. KENWEB is composed of Kenyan and European scientists from the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), the University of Nairobi, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF), the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD), KU Leuven, UNESCO-IHE. This is a production of a workshop that initiates a series of dialogues between researchers, decision makers and local stakeholders concerning key issues in the Tana Delta. Water management, land tenure and wetland management planning issues were debated.