Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)

Current job title: 
Manager, MASMA Program
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Marine Ecology, Water Resources, Wetland Ecosystems, Coastal Ecosystems, Environmental Impact Assessment, Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation, Fisheries Data Management and Analysis|

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The Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) was established as a regional, non-profit, membership organization in 1993 and registered in Zanzibar, Tanzania in 1994 as a non-governmental organization. The organization is dedicated to promoting the educational, scientific and technological development of all aspects of marine sciences throughout the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region (consisting of 10 countries: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion (France)), with a view toward sustaining the use and conservation of its marine resources. WIOMSA has a particular interest in linking the knowledge that emerges from research to the management and governance issues that affect marine and coastal ecosystems in the region.

Organization/Institution/Project linked to: 

WIO-C is a consortium of international and regional Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in partnership with intergovernmental organizations that have presence and are active in regional marine and coastal ecosystem management in the WIO region. It was established during the impelementation of the project on ‘Addressing Land Based activities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIOLaB) to provide a framework for NGOs working in the WIO region to harmonize and advance efforts to protect, conserve, and manage the coastal and marine environment of the WIO region while working to alleviate poverty and attain sustainable livelihoods for the most vulnerable segments of its population. It also aims to support synergy in programmes of work on marine and coastal ecosystem management and promote knowledge and information sharing amongst stakeholders in the WIO region, as well as provide a mechanism for non-governmental entities to anchor activities in the Nairobi Convention and other intergovernmental processes, thus strengthening their implementation.

Current job title: 
Programme Manager - WIOMSA
Institution(s) associated with the expert: 

I am an environmental planner with knowledge of planning and executing coastal spaces for sustainability. I have a special interest in climate change and coastal cities especially sea level rise and its impacts, coastal systems design and coastal spatial planning.

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The Regional State of Coast Report for the western Indian Ocean (WIO) is the first comprehensive regional synthesis to provide insights into the enormous economic potential around the WIO, the consequential demand for marine ecosystem goods and services to match the increasing human population, the pace and scale of environmental changes taking place in the region and the opportunities to avoid serious degradation in one of the world’s unique and highly biodiverse oceans.

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Given the coastal and environmental opportunities and challenge facing the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), it makes sense to better integrate existing legal and management tools, and look for creative and novel solutions to existing problems (UNEP-Nairobi Convention & WIOMSA 2015). Economic activities that takes place in the ocean space, receives goods and services from ocean activities and ocean activity (to the ocean) has been recognised as a major contributor to national economies (Park et al. 2014).

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The meeting of the Forum of Academic and Research Institutions in the Western Indian Ocean (FARI) was organized by the Secretariat of the Nairobi Convention in collaboration with the Western Indian Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).

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The Nairobi Convention, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and Birdlife International are organizing a meeting of the Consortium for the Conservation of the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean region (WIO-C) to be held on 06 September 2019 in Seychelles.

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A Field Guide to the Seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean Islands Third Edition – is completely revised. Packed with 1,650 species of plants and animals from all coastal habitats, 155 pages of stunning watercolour illustrations and hundreds of detailed line drawings, this riveting guide is an invaluable source of information for enthusiasts to identify the marine life common to this region.

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Promoting Innovation and Reuse: Opportunities for the Nairobi Convention.

A presentation by WIOMSA / Nairobi Convention