Welcome, Nairobi Convention Member States, partners, and friends, to this installment of the Weekly News Round-up! Please keep reading to find out what’s new in efforts to protect, conserve and develop the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region.
We look forward to continuing our work with you to create a prosperous WIO region with healthy rivers, coasts, and oceans.
Upcoming Events:
Special sessions on ‘Promoting Marine Protected Areas as a tool for Management Progress Towards Sustainable Development Goal 14’ and ‘Ocean Governance in the Western Indian ocean region’: Join us for these special sessions on July 5, 2019 at Port Louis Mauritius during the 11th Symposium of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)……… read more. Find out more about the WIOMSA Symposium here.
News:
Ecological connectivity between the high seas and coastal waters: Why coastal communities need to care about what happens on the high seas
This research found that coastal regions of some least-developed countries (LDCs) are connected to areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) through larval dispersal and the potential dispersal of pollutants. These findings suggest that protecting ‘source’ areas in the ABNJ could help promote sustainable livelihoods for coastal regions that depend on larval supply from these regions (and could prevent pollutants from these source areas reaching coastal regions…….read more
Click here for the full-length paper: Ecological connectivity between the areas beyond national jurisdiction and coastal waters: Safeguarding interests of coastal communities in developing countries
A New Toolkit to Accelerate Ocean Conservation: Ocean Genomic Horizon Scan
The release of the “Ocean Genomics Horizon Scan” report provides a first-of-its-kind assessment of genomic and biotech innovations to complement, enhance, and accelerate today’s marine conservation strategies. The report is solution-focused and provides a framework of genomic-based innovations for marine conservation……..read more
The full-length report is available
The Highly Interconnected Small-World Network of Fisheries
This study reveals incredible interconnectedness of fisheries around the world. Every year, countries like Indonesia, Norway, and Mexico harvest hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish originating beyond their jurisdiction, whereas major spawning hubs include Brazil, Barbados, and Kiribati. The new findings underscore a need for global cooperation in managing fish stocks — which provide millions of people with food and livelihoods — since most of the fish caught in local jurisdictions originate elsewhere. This means national economies that rely on fishing must also depend on other countries to maintain crucial spawning grounds………read more
Draft of New, Legally Binding U.N. law of the Sea Regulations Now Available
The initial version of the new legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine life in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) is now available from the U.N. The legally binding BBNJ will create new international high seas regulation on: Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs); Area-based Management tools including marine protected areas; Capacity-building and transfer of marine technology; Marine genetic resources including benefits sharing……..read more
A holistic approach to ocean governance is needed’ – Prime Minister of Malta
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat stated that despite the 1982 Constitution of the Oceans dictates that problems of ocean space have to be considered as a whole, there are no effective provisions in the Convention to ensure that this is undertaken. Therefore, a holistic approach to ocean governance needs to be adopted…….read more
Do you have an event or story you’d like included in the weekly round-up? Write [email protected] to be featured next week!
