The urgent challenge to be addressed as soon as possible is achieving equilibrium between conservation and tourism in this important area. The natural ecosystem must be protected while at the same time give tourist and other resource users the chance to utilize the beach, the coral reefs and other areas for their recreational activities which in turn creates employment for the local population and the youth.

Further grabbing and privatization of public beach areas must be discouraged through legal mechanisms which will stop private developers from encroaching on the beach. The Kenyan Legal Framework provides for legal measures to be undertaken in case of land grabbing and encroachment on public property. The enforcement, however, has not always been very effective due to existing problems with corruption and weak institutional frameworks.

It is also of outmost importance that the resource users learn how to extract the resources in a more sustainable way – i.e. stop using destructive fishing gear such as spear guns and drag nets when fishing. Tourism activities also have to be carried out in a sustainable way ensuring that people don’t damage the corals when visiting the reefs.

An intervention that is most likely to succeed is using a participatory approach in creating a sustainable management plan for the area. Increased public awareness through the dissemination of conservation education is also very important. In liaison with conservation authorities like the Kenya Wildlife Service, different stakeholders can be furnished with relevant knowledge that will go a long way in ensuring the beach and marine resources are utilized sustainably. The youth who are engaged in economic activities on the beach could for example be organized into groups that can take part of efforts to create awareness among the locals as well as the visitors on best practices aimed at reducing pollution and unsustainable resource use of the beach.

A participatory approach has been successful elsewhere along the coast where communities have been mobilized to use their resources without neglecting the need for conservation. Areas within the larger coastal ecosystem where communities have succeeded in conservation efforts include the Mwaluganje Community Elephant Sanctuary, The Mida Creek Conservation Community, Muliri Farmers Conservation group of the Arabuko Sokoke, Nyuli Community Conservation Group among others. When the communities who live near the resources are appointed to be guardians of the common resources, setting up the plans for how to conserve the resources, the success rate is usually higher compared to when using fining and strict legal mechanisms are enforced from above or by high level decision makers.