Nairobi Convention Marine and Coastal News Round-up (1 March 2021)

Welcome, Nairobi Convention Member States, partners, and friends, to this issue of the Weekly News Round-up!

This week sets off with the International Day for the Conservation of Seagrass Meadows, World Seagrass Day commemorated on March 1. Seagrass is one of the world’s most important ecosystems on earth. It keeps our oceans healthy is home to many marine animals. It also cleans our oceans, provides food for marine organisms, is shelter for endangered species, stores huge amounts of CO2 and therefore combats climate change, prevents coastlines from erosion and also supports local economies through fisheries and tourism industries.
7% of seagrass is lost each year, putting all the above at risk. Seagrasses in the WIO region are under a range of threats, from sedimentation from upland deforestation and erosion in river catchments, trampling and heavy concentration of fishing and tourist activities, eutrophication and physical damage from anchors, propeller scarring, boat groundings, to overgrazing by sea urchins.
To set off Seagrass Awareness Month, we have shared guidelines that The Nairobi Convention supported governments of the Western Indian Ocean region to develop: Guidelines for Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration. These guidelines outline how to design a successful #seagrass restoration project. We also have other seagrass resources- in a bid to raise awareness about the need to restore this important ecosystem.
This dispatch also has learning and job vacancies. Enjoy!

Do you have any events, research, or scientific publications on the Western Indian Ocean that you would like to be included in the round-up? Write to [email protected]!

Scientists Offer Road Map to Improve Environmental Observations in the Indian Ocean

A group of more than 60 scientists have provided recommendations to improve the Indian Ocean Observing System (IndOOS), a basin-wide monitoring system to better understand the impacts of human-caused climate change in a region that has been warming faster than any other ocean. IndOOS-2 will require new agreements and partnerships with and among Indian Ocean rim countries, creating opportunities for them to enhance their monitoring and forecasting capacity, said the authors.

Register for the Nairobi Convention 2021 Western Indian Ocean Regional Science to Policy Dialogue

The Nairobi Convention, in collaboration with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), is convening the 2021 Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Regional Science to Policy Dialogue. The theme of the meeting will be: ‘Transitioning to a Sustainable Blue Economy in the WIO region: Addressing the challenges and harnessing opportunities’ It will be a virtual Microsoft Teams meeting held over three days from 23 – 25 March 2021 from 9:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m East Africa Time (EAT) every day. Kindly confirm your participation in the meeting by registering through the link below, before 19 March 2021.

Guidelines for Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration in the Western Indian Ocean Region

These Guidelines on Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration(SER) are intended to serve as a tool in support of seagrass restoration opportunities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Region. The Guidelines were developed in response to increasing incidents of seagrass degradation across the region, either through direct anthropogenic pressures and/or climate change related impacts. The Guidelines have been tailored for practical applicability (fit-for-purpose) to the WIO region by considering locally relevant drivers of seagrass decline, dominant seagrass species, environmental settings, management contexts, logistic and economic constraints specific to the WIO region, and three case studies from within the region.

Seagrass: Earth’s Best Defence Against Climate Change Which You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

Threatened by human development, further destruction of our blue carbon ecosystems will lead to a double blow, whereby we lose both carbon sequestration habitats whilst adding to our CO2 emissions at the same time. The benefits of these ecosystems are abundantly clear. Seagrass defend against climate change by holding carbon, increases biodiversity, and act as a fishery for keystone species. Yet these ecosystems are being threatened by human development. Going forward, blue carbon ecosystems such as seagrass must be afforded a level of protection at an international level and considered in top-level decision making; if we lose them, we really have lost one of our greatest weapons against climate change.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Exploring Seychelles’ blue carbon market opportunities within seagrass meadows

Seychelles is slowly comingto recognizethat the protection of blue carbon ecosystems is crucial because they can store vast quantitiesof carbon that will bebeneficial for the mitigation of climate change (Republic of Seychelles, 2020). In the meantime, urgent attention must be paid to preventing further degradation of the country’s seagrass. Reducing the human-inducedimpacts on seagrass will go a long way in supporting this ecosystem’s ability to fight global warming and climate change (Cullen-Unsworthet al., 2018).

Seagrass combating global climate change

Seagrass Meadows Combat Global Climate Change: Coastal Wetlands and Climate Change Project

Seychelles is looking at integrating seagrass carbon sequestration and storage into its upcoming NDC. This is being explored through the Coastal Wetlands and Climate Change Project at SeyCCAT. The project which started in January 2020, has a two-year timeline and will end in December 2021. There are several partners working with SeyCCAT under this project: The PEW Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy, the University of Oxford, Blue Economy Research Institute (BERI) and many local stakeholders.

Consultant vacancies

The Nairobi Convention Secretariat is looking for 2 consultants: Marine Ecosystem Management & Ocean Governance and Science Policy Interface. The application guidelines and detailed job descriptions are accessible via the link below.

Application deadlines are fast approaching. Kindly share this with relevant contacts.

application details>>

Ocean Science in Action: Addressing Marine Ecosystems and Food Security

This course is designed to be accessible to anyone with an interest in ocean management and conservation, the technology used to study the ocean, and the impact of climate change on the marine environment.

It would particularly appeal to people working within marine-related industries, such as fisheries, in the Western Indian Ocean, and those who study this ocean region.

Opportunity to apply for a science communication course

The popular online science communication course at Stellenbosch University is designed to help researchers and communication professionals to get to grips with the principles and practice of effective science communication. Across all modules of the 2021 edition of this course, we will reflect on the effect of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and its implications for public science engagement, with a focus on what we have learned that we can use to improve future science communication activities. The course will be presented by Dr Marina Joubert, a pioneer of science communication practice and research in South Africa.

Register for the 2021 Nairobi Convention and WIOMSA Science to Policy Dialogue

Don’t miss out on the 2021 Science to Policy Dialogue convened by the Nairobi Convention in collaboration with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)

Register now!

Author: A.P.

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