2012
Africa’s inland waters, oceans and seas are under pressure. Over the years, traditional maritime activities, such as shipping or fisheries have intensified, while new ones, such as aquaculture or offshore renewable energy, emerged. However, the rise in intensity of activities at sea is taking place against the backdrop of insecurity, various forms of illegal trafficking, degradation of the marine environment, falling biodiversity and aggravated effects of climate change.
The Ocean Health Index is a new method to define and quantify the health of the ocean in a comprehensive and integrated way. A healthy ocean is defined as one that can sustainability deliver a range of benefits to people now and in the future. The Ocean Health Index (the Index) tracks how countries are doing across a portfolio of 10 goals that people have for a healthy ocean.
This dataset contains the global distributions of habitat suitability for seven suborders of cold-water octocorals (Octocorallia) found deeper than 50 m: Alcyoniina, Calcaxonia, Holaxonia, Scleraxonia, Sessiliflorae, Stolonifera, and Subselliflorae.
In view of the major discoveries oil and gas in the WIO region and the potential social and economic impacts on the economies of the countries on one hand and negative environmental impacts on the other hand it is prudent that adequate governance mechanisms are put in place.
The accurate quantification of the three-dimensional (3-D) structure of mangrove forests is of great importance, particularly in Africa where deforestation rates are high and the lack of background data is a major problem. The objectives of this study are to estimate (1) the total area, (2) canopy height distributions, and (3) above-ground biomass (AGB) of mangrove forests in Africa.
The recent findings of oil and gas in the South Western Indian Ocean (SWIO) region are resulting in a new and unexpected economic dynamic in this part of the Africa continent. Although not a totally new feature, sporadic exploration having taken place for several decades, the recent developments have been made possible by advances in drilling technology and made more urgent by rising oil prices and problems of accessing traditional sources of supply due to current conflicts in the Middle East.
The RAM Legacy Stock Assessment Database is a compilation of stock assessment results for commercially exploited marine populations from around the world. It is inspired by Dr. Ransom A.
During the focal points meeting of the Nairobi Convention held in August 2012, in Maputo, Mozambique, the contracting parties adopted an outline to be used in the preparation of the World Oceans Assessment report. The meeting also agreed that the adopted outline will also serve as the outline for the Regional State of the Coast report for the Nairobi Convention.
The Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems (ASCLME) is one of the 66 identified Large Marine Ecosystems of the world. The countries of the ASCLME region benefit from the goods and services supported by the ASCLME. Coastal and marine ecosystem goods and services play a crucial role in supporting the livelihoods of the people and national economies that use this ecosystem. Yet, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) reports that these ecosystems are deteriorating worldwide, and with them the capacity to support human well-being.
Given the importance of the marine ecosystem, the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) countries with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) participated in the implementation of the Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystem (ASCLME) project. This project involved generation of data and information that can be used for the protection and sustainable management of coastal and marine resources of the WIO sub region.
