The Kenyan Youth Biodiversity Network (KYBN) is a youth-led, local non-profit organization that advocates for meaningful youth inclusion in conservation, sustainable use, and decision-making processes regarding the present and future state of Kenya’s environment and natural resources.
KYBN has a strong track record in youth-led conservation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, including mangroves, inland wetlands, terrestrial forests, and coastal ecosystems. Since its founding in 2017, KYBN has been at the forefront of on-ground restoration, environmental advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and policy influence, particularly within marine ecosystems.
The organization was established as the official Kenyan chapter of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), the official platform for youth engagement under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It has since grown into one of Kenya’s largest youth-led conservation networks, with over 1,200 registered members and 45 grassroots organizations.
KYBN has also played a significant role in advancing youth-inclusive biodiversity policy processes, including supporting youth participation in the revision of Kenya’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and the development of country-specific indicators highlighting youth contributions to biodiversity conservation. These efforts contributed to KYBN’s recognition within Kenya’s National Biodiversity Coordination Mechanism, which supports implementation and monitoring of national commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Since its founding in 2017, KYBN has been at the forefront of onground restoration, environmental advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and policy influence especially in marine ecosystems. The organization was started as an official chapter of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network-the official platform for youth engagement in the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD). It has since grown into one of Kenya’s largest youth-led membership conservation organizations, with over 1200 registered members and 45 grassroot organizations.
Over the next 3 years, KYBN will work to:
1. Enhance the area under restoration around Diani-Chale National reserve to increase youth stewardship for locally-managed and youth-inclusive blue carbon ecosystems.
2. Scaling mangrove value chains, particularly for ecotourism and mangrove honey, through capacity-building, digitization, and market partnerships, to ultimately sustain livelihoods through increased income.
3. Enhance policy advocacy and contribute meaningfully to the implementation of the Kenya’s national biodiversity strategy & action plan (NBSAP) and the Global Biodiversity Framework, on targets related to restoration, such as area-based conservation (target 3), ecosystem restoration (target 2), climate change (target 8), sharing of information and data (target 21), meaningful youth engagement (target 22), and gender mainstreaming (target 23).
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