Report Training Workshop Ecosystem Approaches Coastal and Ocean Management

The training workshop on Ecosystem Approaches to Coastal and Ocean Management: Focusing on Ecosystem- Based Management in Eastern Africa, organized by the Secretariat of the Nairobi Convention and Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) with the financial and technical support from the United Nations Division for Ocean affairs and Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations (UNDOALOS)- Train Sea Coast Programme, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)- Regional Seas Programme, Government of Israel and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was held at Leopard Beach Resort in Mombasa, Kenya from the 27th of October to the 1st of November 2008. The workshop was attended by 43 marine experts, managers, governmental officials and planners from Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Republic of South Africa, Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania as well as representatives of the Nairobi Convention Secretariat, FAO, The Government of Israel, UNDOALOS, UNEP and WIOMSA.
The workshop program consisted of:

• A half day coordination meeting on 26 November for the instructors
• A 5 day instructor-based training from 27– 31 October 2008.
• A field trip to Gazi Bay Mangrove board walk project on the 29th of October 2008.
• A day field trip to Kisite Mpunguti Marine Protected Area on 1 November 2008.

The objective of the workshop was to provide government officials and managers with the necessary tools and skills to develop and implement ecosystem approaches to the management of activities in the marine and coastal environment within the regional context and in their own local countries. The workshop also provided participants the opportunity to expand their professionalnetworks and equipped them with the necessary information to replicate lessons learnt at the national and local levels.

Specific workshop objectives were:

• To go through and analyze the draft training manual on developing and implementing an ecosystem approach to the management of ocean-related activities with a view to validate it as a practical guide to managing the coastal and marine environment.
• To increase the awareness of participants on ecosystem based management approaches and their effective implementation through the use of better management tools that ensure integrated management of national resources at the national and regional levels.
• To ensure that participants have an effective sourcing and critical examination of information for the development and implementation of ecosystem approaches that are best suited to coastal and marine environment of the Western Indian Ocean.
• To equip participants with the tools and skills to increase integration between national and regional institutions in the development and management of project/programs on the marine and coastal environment.