Nairobi Convention Marine and Coastal News Round-up (6 April 2021)

Welcome, Nairobi Convention Member States, partners, and friends, to this issue of the Weekly News Round-up!

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]!

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Job Opportunity

There is an opening for a Senior Programme Management Officer, P5- at the Nairobi Convention. This position is located in the Ecosystems Division at the Nairobi Duty station, under the direct supervision of the Coordinator, Secretariat for the Nairobi Convention.
For more details on the position and for how to apply, follow the link below. The opening closes on April 12, 2021.

application details >>

New programme to support Kenya’s coast and blue economy

The Go Blue initiative launched in Kenya on March 25, 2021. The four-year programme aims to protect Kenya’s coastal ecosystems while creating environmentally friendly jobs in a host of industries, including recycling, tourism and small-scale fishing. It is designed to foster a “sustainable blue economy” in six coastal counties and generate more than 3,000 jobs for youth and women alone.

Go Blue will be implemented in cooperation with the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani – Kenya’s coast regional counties Economic Development Organization – together with national ministries, such as the Blue Economy Secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Kenya Coast Guard Service, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Transport and Bandari Maritime Academy.

The Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science (WIOJMS)

A new issue of the Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science (WIOJMS) is out now. Topics include, but are not limited to: theoretical studies, oceanography, marine biology and ecology, fisheries, recovery and restoration processes, legal and institutional frameworks, and interactions/relationships between humans and the coastal and marine environment. In addition, Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science features state-of-the-art review articles and short communications.

Sea surface temperature anomalies in the western Indian Ocean as a trigger for Atlantic Niño events

Pacific El Niño and Atlantic Niño events represent prominent interannual climate fluctuations in tropical regions. Both of them have considerable impacts on the climate system and human livelihoods. The interaction between the Pacific El Niño and Atlantic Niño has been used and has received wide attention. The observations and numerical model experiments to show a new trigger from the western Indian Ocean (WIO) that can serve as a predictor for Atlantic Niño events. The warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the WIO alter the Walker circulation in the boreal winter, weaken the surface trade winds over the tropical Atlantic and favor an Atlantic Niño in the subsequent summer.

COVID-19 and the future of ocean sustainability

The ocean has been and will be heavily impacted by the global pandemic in 2020. The COVID-19 and the Future of Oceans Sustainability process brought together 25 diverse stakeholders from across the globe to understand how COVID-19 is impacting ocean sustainability. The contributors to the process and co-creators of this report all work extensively in ocean sustainability and together provided a systemic perspective. The stakeholders who came together for this process come from 15 countries across 6 continents, from the non- profit sector, government, and the private sector, and work in diverse domains of ocean sustainability.

SDG14 Event-
Marine conservation: An urgent task for international development cooperation

Marine conservation must be placed higher on the international political agenda in order to close the SDG 14 funding and implementation gap. The virtual event will address these gaps and feature high-level statements by the political leadership of development partners Germany, Sweden and France and the launch of a new Call for Proposals of the Blue Action Fund. A panel discussion will bring together development partners with experts from science, civil society, multilateral organisations and a public audience.

registration link>>

Fine-scale habitat use by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Zavora Bay, Mozambique

Little is known about the humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) of the East-African Coast genetic sub-unit (C1). With an estimated population size of 7000 whales, they demonstrate the resilience of the species after commercial whaling caused population numbers to decline drastically. Zavora Bay, Mozambique offers an ideal observation point of the passage of the whales during their annual migration towards the breeding ground of southern Africa and serves as an operating base to monitor this population. This study aimed at identifying the importance of Zavora Bay as part of this breeding ground and the core regions for humpback whale use within the study area. Results showed the waters off the coast of Zavora are actively used for breeding and do not merely serve as passage towards the wintering habitats.

Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of creeks along the Kenyan coast, Western Indian Ocean (WIO)

Microplastic pollution has been recognized as a global threat in marine environments and a danger to prey, predators and humans. Yet there have been limited studies in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and along the Kenyan coast making it difficult to estimate the extent of such pollution. This is the first study on microplastics (MPs) in the surface waters within creeks (Tudor, Port-Reitz and Mida creeks) in Kenya.

The trophic structure of fish in seaweed farms, and adjacent seagrass and coral habitats in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Coral reefs, seagrasses and seaweed farms (Eucheuma denticulatum) are characteristic habitats in many parts of the coast of Zanzibar, Tanzania. However, information on trophic interactions, movements of fish, and variation in fish diet specialization between these habitats are scarce. The present study determined the trophic structure and the variation in diet composition of fish caught in (floating) seaweed farms, and in adjacent seagrass and coral reef habitats in Pongwe, Zanzibar.

Nairobi Convention Coatal and Marine News Round-up

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Author: A.P.

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