I am proud that my country has this modern railway, because it not only contributes to economic revitalization, but also pays more attention to the protection of the ecology along the line, the protection of the mangroves. Ali Mohammed, a prominent Kenyan environmentalist.

The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is an important outcome of the ten cooperation plans set out at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. It connects Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa, and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, with a total length of about 480 kilometers. It is a modern railway built with Chinese standards, technology and equipment. On May 31, 2017, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, built by a Chinese company, was opened to traffic, reducing the travel time for passengers from Nairobi to Mombasa from an average of 10 hours to five hours.

Mohammed, 44, lives in a quiet village northwest of Mombasa overlooking the mangroves. During the construction phase of the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, Mohammed was impressed by the concept of ecological protection. He believes the Mombasa-Nairobi railway is a good example of combining ecological protection and infrastructure development.

Mangroves regulate coastal climate, are important breeding grounds for fish and play a very important role in the ecosystem. To minimize the railway's impact on the mangroves in Mombasa's Mangrove Wetland Park, the project team of the Chinese company hired environmental experts to conduct an environmental impact assessment before construction. During the construction of the project, the engineering team buried several water culverts within the mangrove growth area to ensure that seawater could enter the area cut off by the construction road to soak the mangroves and ensure their normal growth.

Mohammed said that in the five years since the operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, the mangroves have flourished as usual and even some of the previously degraded mangroves have come back to life. The efforts made by the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway project have protected the Marine ecosystem, including the mangroves.

The Mombasa railway terminus chief, Kosmas Makova, said that the Mombasa Railway does not disturb the mangroves, and that its Bridges have little impact on the ground. The project is also working with coastal communities to restore degraded mangroves.

The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway runs through nature reserves such as Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. During the tour, visitors can watch elephants, giraffes, buffalo and other animals leisurely feeding and migrating under the railway bridge.

According to the living habits of elephants, giraffes and other large animals, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has set up several animal passages along the whole line and raised the height of the Bridges to facilitate the passage of animals. To protect the local environment and wildlife, the Great Bridge across Nairobi National Park has adopted sound barriers to reduce the noise of trains passing through.

Isiah Anderbe, project coordinator of the Pan-African Media Alliance on Climate Change, said the Mombasa-Nairobi railway deserves praise for its efforts to protect mangroves and wildlife.

Nancy Gitega, Kenya country director for the African Wildlife Foundation, says building Bridges and underpasses helps protect iconic wildlife species. The wildlife protection measures adopted by Mombasa-Nairobi Railway provide a reference for the development of large-scale infrastructure projects in Kenya in the future.Editor/Ma Xue