In August 2011, BirdLife International entered into a collaborative agreement with Nairobi Convention Secretariat on a project titled: Enhancing the Protection of Birds in the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Nairobi Convention. The collaborative project was focused on reviewing the bird listed in the Convention’s 'Protocol Concerning Protected Areas and Wild Fauna and Flora in the Eastern African Region.

The project seeks to advance ecosystems restoration on Ile aux Aigrettes Nature Reserve, a site of national and international biodiversity importance, and the surrounding sea. Recognising that terrestrial conservation and seabird colony re-establishment has benefits for both land and marine ecosystems, the project will conduct focused, seabird friendly, habitat restoration and seabird attraction.

Seagrass ecosystems have been recently acknowledged for their blue carbon potential. Blue carbon, is a recent concept used to refer to organic carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. Mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds possess enormous potential to capture, store and release carbon. These blue carbon ecosystems are considered important natural carbon sink sources.