Nairobi Convention Marine and Coastal News Round-up (07 August 2020)

Welcome, Nairobi Convention Member States, partners, and friends, to this installment of the Weekly News Round-up! Please keep reading to find out what’s new in efforts to protect, conserve and develop the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. We look forward to continuing our work with you to create a prosperous WIO region with healthy rivers, coasts, and oceans. Do you have any events, research, or scientific publications on the Western Indian Ocean that you would like to be included in the round-up? Write to [email protected]!

News

Seagrass Conservation through Payment for Ecosystem Services Webinar

You are invited to a webinar on new Seagrass Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) guidance on how community groups can use PES to plan, fund, and facilitate seagrass conservation projects. See what this work looks like on the ground through Mikoko Pamoja, a community-led mangrove and seagrass conservation and restoration project based in Kenya.

GMES & Africa and Copernicus Marine Earth Observation Online Training Course

Applications are now open for the GMES & Africa and Copernicus Marine Earth Observation Online Training Course. This training is organised by the MarCoSouth GMES & Africa consortia in collaboration with EUMETSAT. The course will take place entirely online and will run in two different phases between 28 September and 16 October 2020.

Impact of climate change on tropical fisheries would create ripples across the world

Tropical oceans and fisheries are threatened by climate change, generating impacts that will affect the sustainable development of both local economies and communities, and regions outside the tropics through ‘telecoupling’ of human-natural systems, such as seafood trade and distant-water fishing, says a scientific review from UBC and international researchers.

Sea temperature a critical factor in success of coral reef outplants

A new study finds that the survival of coral reef outplants dropped below 50% if the sea surface temperature rose above 30.5° Celsius (89.6° Fahrenheit). Coral outplants were also more likely to survive in marine environments with variable temperatures, which might increase their resilience to temperature change, according to the authors.

Mangroves and coral reefs can help protect millions from rising seas

According to a new study, mangroves and coral reefs could help protect more than a quarter of people at risk by serving as a buffer between coastal communities and ocean waves or flooding, and by significantly reducing erosion. The researchers found that communities stand to benefit the most from the conservation of these coastal ecosystems.

Marine and coastal areas linked with better health and well-being

A new study suggests that exposure to coastal environments can play a significant role in boosting human health and well-being, due to the ‘therapeutic effects’ marine and coastal landscapes have. The report also warns that in the coming decades, climate change and extreme weather has the potential to jeopardise sensitive marine habitats.

Surface Clean-Up Technology won’t solve ocean plastic problem, according to study

Clean-up devices that collect waste from the ocean surface won’t solve the plastic pollution problem, according to a new study. Researchers compared estimates of current and future plastic waste with the ability of floating clean-up devices to collect it – and found the impact of such devices was “very modest.”

Ocean heatwaves dramatically shift habitats

Marine heatwaves across the world’s oceans can displace habitat for sea turtles, whales, and other marine life by 10s to thousands of kilometers. They dramatically shift these animals’ preferred temperatures in a fraction of the time that climate change is expected to do the same, new research shows.

Your input is needed to inform ocean sewage pollution online resources!

The Reef Resilience Network is developing online resources to support coral reef managers’ understanding of and response to sewage pollution. They now need your help to assess existing perceptions about sewage pollution and provide insight about current activities, knowledge gaps, and mitigation strategies.

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Author: Nairobi Convention

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