Policy and Governance
This Regional Synthesis Report on the status of pollution in the WIO region synthesises information presented in the National Status of Pollution Reports which form the basis for the TDA of the WIO region. The TDA is an important part of the overall strategic planning process, providing a basis for formulation of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and the harmonised National Action Plans (NAPs) on environmental protection of WIO region. The focus of this study is on land-based sources of marine pollution, i.e.
The countries of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region share a common but varying dependence on the coastal resources including fisheries resources. Currently the coastal zone of the mainland states is home to over 30 million people and about 7.7 million more live on the Islands of Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Réunion (Linden and Lundin, 1997). Coastal resources in the Eastern African region have supported the livelihoods of generations of coastal dwellers and have contributed to the economic development of most countries in the region.
In this report a review of national policies and legislation addressing issues of the alteration and destruction of critical coastal and marine habitats, and the institutional arrangements towards alleviating the same is presented. The land-based social and economic activities impacting on the habitats and the extent to which the latter are affected is assessed. Emphasis has been placed on the link between the impacts and tourism or tourism catalysed activities.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 26 December 2004 affected part of Somalia, with most of the damage experienced in the north-east along a 650 km coastline stretching from Xafuun in the Bari region, to Garacad in the Mudug region. About 44,000 people are believed to have been affected by the tsunami.
The South Indian Ocean Blue Book was presented on Saturday, December 10th, 2011 for the seashells that took place in Saint-Pierre of La Réunion.
Les Comores constituent un archipel de l’Océan Indien, composé de quatre îles situées entre Madagascar et la Côte Est du continent Africain ; il s’agit de la Grande Comore(Ngazidja), Anjouan(Ndzouani), de Mohéli (Moili) et de Mayotte (Maoré). Pour l’ensemble, la superficie est estimée à 2237 Km² et la population à quelques 700 000 habitants.
The Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystem (ASCLME) Project is a UNDP/GEF regional project covering nine countries in the Western Indian Ocean which include: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and Tanzania all of which following the UNCLOS (1982), have proclaimed their ocean ward extents to the 200 nautical mile limit of their Exclusive Economic Zones. The proclamation gives the countries jurisdictional powers over the governance of the natural resources in these LMEs as provided by UNCLOS (1982).
This report describes the Policy and Governance Assessment done for the Coastal and Marine Resources sectors within the framework of Large Marine Ecosystems for the Agulhas and Somali Current in Tanzania. This report is organized into seven chapters. The first chapter introduces Tanzania with its geographical settings, administrative set up and the existing governance system for managing the coastal and marine resources and environment. It also present the methodology used for this assessment.
Mozambique, bathed by the Indian Ocean in its entire eastern side, is located in SouthEast Africa, between the parallels 10°27’S and 26°52’S. It is limited by Tanzania and Malawi, in its northern part; by Zambia and Zimbabwe, on the western side; and by Swaziland and South Africa, in its south-western and southern parts.
The objective of this report is to assess and make recommendations on the sustainable management of South Africa’s marine and coastal resources in the context of other countries in the West Indian Ocean (WIO) region.
More specifically the report seeks to outline and assess the application of an Ecosystem Based Approach (EBA) and Living Marine Ecosystem (LME) approach for the sustainable management of such resources with a view to benefitting the people and alleviating poverty in the region. More specifically the terms of reference are to:
