Nairobi Convention Marine and Coastal News Round-up (29 March 2021)

Welcome, Nairobi Convention Member States, partners, and friends, to this issue of the Weekly News Round-up!
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The 2021 Western Indian Ocean Nairobi Convention Science to Policy Dialogue happened on March 23-25. During the successful virtual event, 33 papers on different thematic concerns were presented all with policy recommendations. The Nairobi Convention wishes to thank everyone who participated in the event. Find a link to all the abstracts of the papers presented in the round-up.
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In this week’s round up, find a fund application opportunity: The Global EbA Fund – that will draw on and support the growing momentum behind nature-based solutions and EbA, creating synergies with other upscaling initiatives, as well as the 2nd UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge Call for Proposals on Sustainable Fisheries.
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Read about how rising temperatures of the Western Indian Ocean waters have contributed to the raging locust pandemic in the Horn of Africa.
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Find also a toolkit for Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) that contains a case study from Mozambique, and was among the papers presented at the 2021 WIO Science to Policy Dialogue last week.
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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]!

Article- Marine mammal conservation: over the horizon

Marine mammals can play important ecological roles in aquatic ecosystems, and their presence can be key to community structure and function. Consequently, marine mammals are often considered indicators of ecosystem health and flagship species. Yet, historical population declines caused by exploitation, and additional current threats, such as climate change, fisheries by catch, pollution and maritime development, continue to impact many marine mammal species,and at least 25% are classified as threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable)on the IUCN Red List.
To continue these successes and reverse the downward trajectories of at-risk species, it is necessary to evaluate the threats faced by marine mammals and the conservation mechanisms available to address them.

Thank you for your participation in the Nairobi Convention 2021 Western Indian Ocean Regional Science to Policy Dialogue

The Nairobi Convention, in collaboration with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), convened the 2021 Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Regional Science to Policy Dialogue. The theme of the meeting was: ‘Transitioning to a Sustainable Blue Economy in the WIO region: Addressing the challenges and harnessing opportunities’ It was a virtual Microsoft Teams meeting held over three days from 23 – 25 March 2021 from 10:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m East Africa Time (EAT) every day.
There were 33 presentations in the course of the three days, exploring science to policy papers on i) assessment and conservation of critical habitats and endangered species, ii) climate change adaptation and mitigation, iii) establishing and managing area-based conservation measures, and iv) regional Ocean governance: Emerging issues/frameworks.
The Nairobi Convention Secretariat thanks all partners, member states, experts and friends who contributed in making this a successful event. Have a look at highlights of the discussions had over the 3-day event HERE.
To access the abstracts of all the papers presented during the 2021 Science to Policy Platform, follow the link below:

SPP 2021 abstracts >>

New Book Coming Soon: The Ocean and Us by Women 4 Oceans

The Ocean and Us is a book that will provide a non-technical overview that is easy-to-digest and a fact-based overview of our contemporary understanding of the ocean and the issues it currently faces, as well as suggestions for things we can all do to help improve ocean health.
It offers a comprehensive, cross-discipline insight into our relationship with the ocean, including topics such as the links between coastal communities and sustainability, oceans and human health and intersectionality in the ocean space. It is also women-led and powered. To be notified once the book is released, register below:

MeerWissen contribution to the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Regional Science to Policy Dialogue

The discussion paper “Co-Design as the basis for collaboration and science to policy uptake in the Western Indian Ocean region”, was presented by Ron Fluegel on behalf of the authors from the MeerWissen Initiative secretary, partner organisations and WIOMSA.

The paper indicates that the work across scientific disciplines, regions and societal groups is increasing and requires new methods and concepts regarding communication, institutional arrangements and funding opportunities. On a regional level, the Nairobi Convention and WIOMSA are already making efforts to improve the science to policy interface, but what co-design is and how to use it, is not widely known or intentionally practiced in the region yet.

Launch of a new Global EbA Fund

The Global EbA Fund prioritizes the closing of resource and knowledge gaps with a broad thematic focus on innovation and urgency, encouraging creative solutions and partnerships among funding applicants and the wider EbA community. By supporting catalytic interventions, the Fund will engage in strategic EbA policy mainstreaming, incentivize innovative finance mechanisms and private sector investment.
The Global EbA Fund will draw on and support the growing momentum behind nature-based solutions and EbA, creating synergies with other upscaling initiatives, including the Global Adaptation Network (GAN), the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Friends of EbA (FEBA), various action tracks of the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA; specifically, its Action Track on Nature-Based Solutions), the Sustainable Development Goals and more.
Learn more about grant selection criteria and how to apply by clicking the link below:

Toolkit for LMMA Establishment: A case study of Our Sea Our Life’s approach to community-based marine conservation in northern Mozambique

Locally Managed Marine Areas or LMMAs are one approach to community management of marine resources. LMMAs have been implemented in different parts of the world, including East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and Madagascar where they have proved to be an effective solution to some challenges such as limited role of coastal communities in governance, high cost of implementation, lack of ownership and poor coordination among stakeholders.
In Mozambique, the creation and management of LMMAs is not yet clearly regulated and can be potentially done under the fisheries legislation in the context of participatory management of fishing resources, or the conservation legislation as Community Conservation Areas. The need to define the legal framework for LMMAs is recognised by government authorities who have been developing such efforts together with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders.

2nd UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge Call for Proposals: Sustainable Fisheries

Over the years, the international community has taken important steps to promote sustainable fishing, such as the FAO’s Code of Conduct on Responsible Fishing, the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement, and through the work of various regional fisheries agreements and RFMOs. Nevertheless, progress on key SDG 14 targets pertaining to sustainable fisheries has lagged and the main target, 14.4, was clearly not met in 2020.

Recognizing the increasing urgency of addressing unsustainable fishing, the second OIC Challenge, launched in March 2021, seeks innovative solutions that address one or more of the following SDG 14 targets: 14.4,14.7, and 14.b

Project proponents can include governments, private companies (including start-ups), NGO/CSO, United Nations entities, academic institutions, and intergovernmental organizations.

how to apply >>

Locust outbreaks in the Horn of Africa are linked to fast-warming Western Indian Ocean waters

“Unusually heavy and widespread rainfall has made this plague more serious, impacting countries that had previously been hardly affected, such as Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda,” says Christiaan Kooyman, a scientific advisor and biopesticide expert in Kenya. “It is fairly certain that climate change has contributed.”

The locust plagues are linked to powerful recent cyclones in the fast-warming western Indian Ocean, with the heavy rains, strong winds and soaked land creating ideal conditions for desert locusts to breed and spread.

National Guidance for Plastic Pollution Hotspotting and Shaping Action (2021 WIO Science to Policy)

Presented last week at the 2021 Science to Policy Dialogue: The ‘National Guidance for Plastic Pollution Hotspotting and Shaping Action’ (hereafter referred to as ‘the Guidance’) aims to provide a methodology for countries to identify plastic leakage ‘hotspots’, find their impacts along the entire plastic value chain, and then prioritise effective actions to stop the leakage at each hotspot.
The Guidance will help countries, regions, and cities to understand what kind of plastics are leaking into the environment, where they are leaking, and why the leakage happens.
Co-developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Life Cycle Initiative.

Nairobi Convention Coatal and Marine News Round-up

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Author: A.P.

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