A new study published in the Wiley Journal of Global Ecology and Biogeography has determined that both human pressures, when coupled with erosion, drought, and sea-level changes (i.e. certain effects of climate change), are the main culprits behind the diminishing mangrove forests in the Western Indian Ocean region. Mangroves, unique trees that thrive in saltwater,…
The Malindi-Sabaki estuary is a source of life and livelihoods for the residents who live along it. However, the estuary is under threat from unregulated human activity, causing pollution and over-exploitation of its resources. READ ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT, CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF THE MALINDI-SABAKI ESTUARY HERE
Ensuring ‘Blue Growth’ in fisheries communities in the Western Indian Ocean region Small-scale and subsistence fisheries are the backbone of many communities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region, providing income, food, and jobs to an estimated one million inhabitants. Yet 40% of the fish stocks targeted by these fisheries are being unsustainably exploited—causing risks…
Building Back Biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean: Revision of the Nairobi Convention Protocol The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region is home to a staggering degree of marine biodiversity. From the waters of Mauritius (which 1,700 marine species call home), the 156 types of fish in Madagascar (66% of fish of which can be found nowhere else), to South Africa…
Towards a more sustainable fisheries sector in Comoros Located at the northern entrance to the Mozambique Channel, the Comoros archipelago has one of the most productive fishery industries in the Western Indian Ocean region. The Comorian fishery sector currently contributes 24 percent to the nation’s agricultural GDP and 7.5 percent to the national economy overall, according…
Mauritius, once home to the dodo, rushes to save threatened seabirds on Ile aux Aigrettes Bird decoys on Ile aux Aigrettes. Credit: Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Ile aux Aigrettes, or Egret Island, is just one of the many small islands off the coast of Mauritius named after birds. There’s also Common Noddy Island, Shearwater Island, Lesser…
In the lead up to International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on 26 July, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is running a series of stories on mangroves, and their impact on the environment and economies of countries across the world. Twenty years later, people are still talking about Cyclone Eline in Xai-Xai, Mozambique. The…
But the mangroves, which are also home to many species, like ray fish, hongwe, migratory birds and sea turtles, are sometimes seen as obstacles to be cut down, occupying land that can be used to grow rice and graze livestock. Such over-dependence on mangroves in the Rufiji Delta, home to 50 per cent of Tanzania’s mangroves, has led to a depletion of these forests, threatening residents’way of life.
Water, essential to all life, plays a particularly important role in the lives of Tanzanians living near Mbarali River, part of the larger Rufiji River basin in southern Tanzania. Here, farmers use water from the river to irrigate their crops. Cattle herders guide their animals to its banks to drink and graze. Fishers make a living catching fish from its waters. Still…
Creating the conditions for sustainable seagrass restoration in Maputo and Inhambane bays “People can’t think of Inhaca without thinking about seagrass,” says Salamao Bandeira of Maputo’s Eduardo Mondlane University, knee-deep in the shallow waters on the seaward side of Maputo Bay, as he points at the shores of Inhaca Island. Nearby, residents are submerged waist-deep in the sea, taking advantage of the…