Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM)

i. Sustainable Fisheries Management

• The UEM is currently running a research project centered on exploring social-ecological systems aiming at producing a forum theatre on awareness about conservation and climate change of marine and coastal resources. The focal entity is both the Faculty of Sciences/Department of Biological Sciences and Faculty of Social Sciences of UEM. This project is implemented in Mozambique and Kenya and dwells also on community structures to deal with key coastal resources such as fisheries. Project title “Forum theater to enhance joint agency in Kenya and Mozambique: towards relational understandings of climate change” Acronym: FoRel, http://www.seslink.org/projects-2/forel/. Countries involved: Sweden, Kenya and Mozambique.
• UEM has thesis (co) supervision  programs focusing on following main topics related to sustainable fisheries: Value  chain analysis on invertebrate fisheries; experimentation on role of seagrass recovery and relationship with microfauna/macrofauna biodiversity build-up; specific ecological and biological studies in selected target species such as pearl mussels (Pinctata capensis) and hooker oyster (Saccostrea cucculata).
• UEM and edited a state-of-art-book on “The Maputo Bay Ecosystem” with co-authorship and students’ articles of sustainable fisheries. UEM had also partnered with the Mozambique Fisheries Research Institute, in some chapters.
• The UEM is conducting Market assessment and value chain analysis for Inhassoro, Bazaruto Area, southern Mozambique this as part of GEF project component on "The Distribution of Dugongs in the Coastal Waters of Mozambique”.
• The UEM is carrying out consultancies to highlight the impact on dredging of Maputo Bay on fisheries in this Bay.

ii. Assessment of coastal habitats including seagrass, coral reefs, mangroves and salt marshes

The UEM is undertaking the following:

• An update on seagrasses area coverage (carried out for the World Seagrass Atlas)
• Mapping of mangroves for selected areas of Mozambique. Several papers covering southern, central, and northern Mozambique.
• Changing detection of mangrove area due to 2007 Eline Cyclone, also floods in selected major river estuary and related geomorphological transformation in mangroves and estuaries
• Mangrove restoration initiative in Limpopo estuary after the 2000 floods.
• Impacts several cyclones (span over 21 years) on seagrass in Inhambane Bay
• Participation of UEM is a multi-author paper on coral triangle – the northern Mozambique channel
• Connectivity paper – linking fisheries with seagrass and mangrove habitats (Bazaruto archipelago region)
• Co-authorship of in prep book chapter: on Outlook of critical habitats in WIO - Salt Marshes. As well as supervision of students.
• Genetics and biodiversity of fish species

iii. Economic valuation of coastal ecosystems goods and services including seagrass, coral reefs, mangroves.

The UEM is undertaking the following:

• A thesis on value chain analysis (VCA) and economic assessment for mangrove forests in selected regions of Mozambique and on seagrass invertebrate fisheries and its VCA and monetary pathways
• An abstract on cruizeliner industry - presented at WIOMSA Symposium
• Value chain analysis on fisheiries in Inhassoro, southern Mozambique
• Fisheries assessment in selected regions and MPAs in Mozambique

iv. Rehabilitation/restoration of marine and coastal habitats

The Universidade Eduardo Mondlane has:

• Documented mangroves restoration efforts at Limpopo estuary after the 2000 floods (DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-25370-1_14)
• Documented lesson learned of mangrove restoration in Mozambique after several initiatives of mangrove restoration throughout Mozambique (some covering over 10 years period). Report done for Danida, Denmark
• Conducted field experimentation on seagrass restoration techniques (Maputo Bay) including training of students that has been carried out since 2017.

v. Building capacities and partnerships for scientific cooperation (Science to Policy):

• Coordination of the development of first mangrove management plan for Mozambique
• Co-authorship of the science-to-policy document that explores and guides options for development of a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES)/REDD+ initiatives with seagrasses meadows.
• Advisory role of UEM is various Government forum highlight to environment and fisheries governance.
• Teaching in undergraduate and masters courses disciplines on biological environmental management and governance.