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.
Upcoming Events:
- Together with the International Maritime Organization, and in collaboration with the Indian Ocean Commission, the SAPPHIRE project will hold the Regional Workshop on Cooperation in Preparedness and Response to Marine Spills for governments and focal points to enhance regional cooperation in preparing and responding to such spills from 2 – 6 March in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
News:
Marine and coastal EbA for enhanced resilience in Southern Africa country review: Tanzania
Tanzania’s coastal zone, including Zanzibar, is home to approximately 10 million people, many of whom are highly dependent on coastal and marine resources, and the ecosystem services these provide. Some 70% of Tanzania’s population live in urban areas, the vast majority of whom live in informal settlements that are increasingly at risk from water scarcity, flooding and heat extremes. The average annual temperature in Tanzania increased by 1°C from 1960–2006, with models indicating future increases in the range of 1–3°C by the 2050s. This will have serious economic consequences for its coastal cities and inhabitants.
Sea-level rise is expected to cause damages of about $200 million per year in lost land and infrastructure damage countrywide. Without major investments in adaptation, it is predicted that, between 2070 and 2100, an annual average of 800 000 Tanzanians could be impacted by flooding caused by rising sea levels. For a country like Tanzania, with a long and vulnerable coastline and home to ample vegetation and biodiversity, marine and coastal ecosystems should be central to climate adaptation. Thus far only a few EbA projects are operational in Tanzania, and those that do exist tend to be isolated and limited in scale…..click here to download the full report
Using Green Technology to Improve Water Quality in Kenya’s Mtwapa Creek
“The smell alone when you cross the bridge tells you something’s wrong,” says Renison Ruwa, deputy director of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute. The bridge in question is Mtwapa bridge, which straddles Mtwapa Creek in Mombasa, Kenya. And the smell to which Ruwa is referring stems from this very creek, into which waste from the nearby Shimo la Tewa prison—and indeed many other places—is directly dumped.
The beautiful coral reefs of the nearby Mombasa Marine Park are very vulnerable to such pollution, as are local fish and crabs. Wastewater pollution not only has the potential of disrupting local ecosystems and biodiversity, but also potentially tourism revenue.
A new project involving the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Shimo la Tewa prison, the National Environment Management Authority and GreenWater aims to address this problem using constructed wetland technology to manage wastewater at the prison…….read more
Marine Regions Forum 2019 – Comprehensive Conference Report with Key Messages Now Available
The Marine Regions Forum 2019 took place for the first time from 30 September – 02 October 2019 in Berlin, Germany. The overarching theme of the conference was “Achieving a healthy ocean – Regional ocean governance beyond 2020”. The conference provided a unique space for decision-makers, scientists and civil-society actors from the world’s different marine regions to discuss and showcase impactful collaborative solutions for ocean health. The purpose was to develop clear recommendations, catalyze actionable outputs, and build partnerships for stronger regional ocean governance in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially Sustainable Development Goal 14 “Life Below Water”……………read more
Note sur les Lignes Directrices pour la Surveillance et L’évaluation des Déchets Plastiques dans les Océans: Recommandations et étapes à Venir
L’objet principal de ce rapport est de fournir des recommandations, des conseils et des orientations pratiques pour l’établissement de programmes de surveillance et d’évaluation de la répartition et de l’abondance des déchets plastiques (ou « débris de plastique ») dans les océans. Le rapport est principalement destiné aux organisations nationales, intergouvernementales et internationales investies de responsabilités en matière de gestion des conséquences sociales, économiques et écologiques des activités terrestres et maritimes humaines sur le milieu marin. La décision d’élaborer ces lignes directrices reflète l’absence d’une méthodologie convenue au niveau international pour communiquer les informations sur la répartition et l’abondance des déchets plastiques et microplastiques dans le milieu marin, sujet de préoccupations croissantes. L’utilisation d’un système harmonisé sera bénéfique pour l’élaboration de programmes de surveillance comme prévu dans le cadre de l’indicateur 14.1.1 des objectifs de développement durable (déchets marins) et contribuera à faire passer cet indicateur de la catégorie 3 (aucune méthodologie ou norme internationalement reconnue n’est encore disponible) à la catégorie 2 (l’indicateur est clair sur le plan conceptuel, une méthodologie et des normes internationalement reconnues existent, mais la production des données nationales est irrégulière)…….. en savoir plus ici
English version is available Brief on The Guidelines for The Monitoring and Assessment of Plastic Litter in The Ocean: Recommendations and Future Steps .
The Call for the next cohort of the One Planet Fellowship opens
The call for the next cohort of the One Planet Fellowship is now open for applications and will close on March 31, 2020. The One Planet Fellowship seeks to build a vibrant, highly connected, and inter-generational network of African and European scientist leaders equipped to use a gender lens to support Africa adapt to a changing climate………read more
The Pacific Ocean Is So Acidic That It’s Dissolving Crabs
The study, published in Science of The Total Environment, analyzed Dungeness crabs and found that the lowered pH of the Pacific Ocean is causing young Dungeness crab shells to corrode.
As carbon dioxide levels continue to increase, they have a direct impact on the acidity of the ocean. This is because oceans absorb a significant amount of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. Likely, about a third of all carbon dioxide released from fossil fuel combustion is trapped in the world’s oceans……read more
Read the full-length published paper
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