Special Session: Addressing the Three Planetary Crises

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is recognized globally for its unique biological richness, natural beauty and high ecological and socio-economic value.

The WIO region’s coastal habitats, which include coastal forests, sand dunes, beaches, rocky shores, mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs, support rich and complex populations of marine species that rely on the integrity of the various ecosystems for their productivity.

The marine assets of the WIO have been estimated to have a value of about US$ 333 bn, supporting community livelihoods and driving coastal and national economies with a Gross marine Product of US20.8bn compared to GDPs of regional countries making the WIO ocean economy the 4th biggest if it were considered as a country.

This special session at the 12th WIOMSA Symposium will delve into how the implementation of the WIO-SAP, SAPPHIRE, SIDA Partnership projects and EU MEAs projects are contributing to alleviating impacts from the triple planetary crises, and link to the opportunities offered by the super decade. The format will follow presentations under different thematic areas: ecosystem management and restoration, marine spatial planning, climate change adaptation, economic valuation, community livelihoods and marine water quality improvement.

The session will be convened by FARI members in collaboration with WIOMSA and the Nairobi Convention Secretariat. The target audience includes: Focal Points of the Convention, regional experts, WIOC members, FARI members among others.

The main objective of the session will be to have presentations highlighting progress made in the implementation of the various interventions supported by the Convention and discussions on the next steps.