The UNEP Nairobi Convention Secretariat has achieved another milestone toward implementing the new Western Indian Ocean Strategic Action Programme in support of a sustainable regional Blue Economy, which was agreed upon by the Contracting Parties to the Nairobi Convention (NC). In partnership with Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), the Nairobi Convention conducted a six-day Regional Capacity Building Course on Environmental Flows and Source-to-Sea (S2S) Approach in WIO Countries, in Mbeya Tanzania, in April 2024. The immediate expected outcome of this capacity-building initiative is the formation of the 1st Community of Practice on EFLOWS and Source-to-Sea in the WIO region and the wise use of catchments and natural resources, thus contributing to all SDGs, particularly SDG 14 “A Pathway to Ocean Sustainability”.
The Community of Practice is expected to champion and spearhead the use of integrated approaches and tools to river-basin and marine natural resources management and conservation for an enhanced green economy in support of local livelihoods and contribute to the national GDP of countries in the WIO region. Tools such as Environment Flows Assessment (EFlows) guidelines that were developed under the WIOSAP Program, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), and Source-to-Sea (S2S) approaches to holistic water and marine management seek to address the land-based threats and challenges in an integrated manner as envisioned in the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol, and the Protocol for the Protection of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBSA Protocol).
