Table 6. Summary of local ecological knowledge common to all studied occupational groups in the target community, Kenya. Ecological component Ecological links and processes Mangroves - Knowledge of the central function of mangroves in coastal biological, hydrological, and geomorphologic processes in the form of nursery habitats, water filtration, and sediment stabilization - Awareness of the nursery function provided by mangroves for fish and shellfish residing part of their life outside of the mangrove habitat; Shows a notion of the positive spillover effect of such functions on coupled ecological subsystems such as seagrass beds and coral reefsa - Acknowledgement that historical and present land uses, such as mangrove cutting, will cause changes in the distribution and abundance of associated species, e.g., crabs, shrimp, fish, and ecosystem functions such as soil stabilization, water movement, nursery habitats, nesting areas, and wind breakersa Penaeidae shrimps - Acknowledgement that seasonal climatic changes affect the distribution and abundance of shrimp and finfish in the area: seasonal monsoons and the resulting freshwater outflow attract juvenile shrimps into the mangrove system a knowledge poor among farmers and businessmen