Nairobi Convention Marine and Coastal News Round-Up in the Western Indian Ocean (24th – 28th February 2020)

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.

Do you have an event or story you’d like included in the weekly round-up? Write [email protected] to be featured next week!

News

Saving Mozambique’s seagrass

Ahead of World Seagrass Day on 1 March, read this story about the WIOSAP demo project on seagrass restoration in Mozambique. Under this project, Eduardo Mondlane University, with the support of the Government of Mozambique, will be identifying and restoring seagrass sites in Inhambane and Maputo bays. Nearby communities will also learn non-destructive fishing practices and draft a local seagrass management plan under the project.

Maritime information sharing in Southern Africa

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office worked with the Southern Africa and Islands Hydrographic Commission and partners across Southern Africa to develop legislation and regulations that guide the sharing of maritime information. The sessions covered Hydrographic Services and the development of a Hydrographic Governance Implementation Plan and the creation of regional peer support networks.

Sustainable seaweed farming in the WIO

This review provides a summary of the current scientific knowledge of potential direct and indirect negative environmental effects linked to euch-eumatoid seaweed farming, such as alterations of benthic macrophyte habitats and loss of native biodiversity. It provides a number of management recommenda-tions for sustainable seaweed farming practices in the WIO region, including spatial planning of farms to avoid sensitive areas.

ESR Special: Marine vertebrate bycatch: problems and solutions

This study combines published results from 10 bycatch sampling pro-grammes in Australia, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan to estimate bycatch rates for cetaceans across all Indian Ocean tuna gillnet fisheries. Estimated cetacean has declined by over 15% since a peak in 2004-2006, despite an increase in tuna gillnet fishing effort. These fisheries caught an cumulative total of 4.1 million small cetaceans between 1950-2018.

Co-Facilitators announce themes for 2020 UN Ocean Conference

The co-facilitators of the UN Ocean Conference preparatory process announced an agreement on the themes for the 2020 Conference. The eight themes will be on marine pollution, restoring marine and coastal ecosystems; address-ing ocean acidification; sustainable fisheries; prom-oting sustainable ocean-based economies; increasing scien-tific knowledge; enhanc-ing international law; and leveraging linkages between Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 and other SDGs.

Research: 26% of the Ocean Needs to Be Relegated to Conservation

According to a study published in the One Earth journal, at least 26 %of our oceans’ surfaces need to be relegated for conservation efforts if we want to effectively protect the species living in them. New conservation priorities based on the 10% range target scenario are primarily located in places where there are few existing areas of conservation or biodiversity importance and high concentrations of species with low coverage in existing areas of conservation.

What will it cost to save the earth’s oceans?

A new study estimates that the world would need to spent $175 billion per year to reach to reach Sustainable Development 14 targets. About one-fifth of the needed funding, the researchers say, is for protecting and restoring wetland ecosystems, coastal habitats, coral reefs and other environments.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Regional workshop on cooperation in preparedness and response to marine spills; 03-05 March 2020 Zanzibar, Tanzania

Together with the International Maritime Organization, and in collaboration with the Indian Ocean Commission, the SAPPHIRE project will hold a workshop for governments and focal points to enhance regional cooperation in preparing and responding to such spills from 2-6 March in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Find out more

Marine Ecosystem Diagnostic Analyses (MEDA) Consultant (UNEP JO: 130633)

The Nairobi Convention is looking for a consultant to coordinate the process of updating the Marine Ecosystem Diagnostic Analyses (MEDAs) for Somalia and Comoros. Deadline: 10 March 2020.

See more information

Call for Abstracts: Southern African Marine Science Symposium

The Southern African Marine Science Symposium, to be held from 6-9 July in Durban, is accepting abstracts now for its conference on exploring the links, continuity and changes in marine science of the past and present. The deadline is 28 Feb 2020.

See more information

Workshop on Oceanographic Research and Data Collection in North Kenya Bank and Pemba Channel of Tanzania; 16 – 17 April 2020, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Organized under the SAPPHIRE project, this forum will discuss the status of oceanographic research and data collection in Kenya and Tanzania; take stock of the progress on the oceanographic research in North Kenya Bank and Pemba Channel of Tanzania.

Find out more

EBA – Call for Proposals: Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in the Western Indian Ocean

Blue Action Fund is looking for projects supporting ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change in Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, and South Africa. Deadline 24 May 2020.

See more information

News

Saving Mozambique’s seagrass

Maritime information sharing in Southern Africa

Sustainable seaweed farming in the WIO

ESR Special: Marine vertebrate bycatch: problems and solutions

Co-Facilitators announce themes for 2020 UN Ocean Conference

Research: 26% of the Ocean Needs to Be Relegated to Conservation

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Author: Nairobi Convention

Related Posts