Lamu Old Town: Balancing Economic Development with Heritage Conservation

Lamu Old Town, a typical example of a predominant Swahili settlement that thrived on marine resources, faces an uncertain future. Development projects have added to the effects of climate change and might cause important changes in Lamu’s biodiversity and culture. This paper describes the interrelations between cultural and natural values within this World Heritage Site and the potential impacts of development projects and climate change in the larger ecosystem. The paper postulates that the impacts on biodiversity will have adverse consequences on the resilience and livelihoods of the communities occupying this historical coastal town, which has existed for over 700 hundred years, increasing their vulnerability to disasters