Efforts and Progress Wetlands in the Western Indian Ocean region are not just a pretty sight, they are vital ecosystems that support a diverse array of life. They include salt marshes, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests. These unique habitats are homes, breeding and feeding grounds for species such as fish, turtles, sea cucumbers, molluscs, corals,…
The push for more evidence-based policy making The world is currently facing an unprecedented planetary crisis of pollution and waste, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Evidence-based management and policy decision making is critical to inform interventions to turn the tide. Marine scientists, researchers, and experts commendably and constantly publish papers and articles from their respective…
The Nairobi Convention Secretariat,through WIOSAP project,has commissioned the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR, South Africa) and the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) to undertake a project, in consultation with regional port partners and other stakeholders, aimed at advancing sustainable port development in the region.MTCC is responsible for stakeholder convening and coordination, while CSIR…
Reflecting into the future The WIOSAP Project held its sixth WIOSAP PSC in Nosy Be, Madagascar between 6-7 July 2022. The meeting provided strategic guidance for effective implementation of WIOSAP’s activities based on its Mid-Term Review (MTR) findings and recommendations. The sixth WIOSAP PSC meeting was attended by Nairobi Convention Focal Points, the WIOSAP project’s…
The Western Indian Ocean region ranks as one of the most biodiverse in the world. From the rich biological reservoir that is the Northern Mozambique Channel to the unique coastal ecosystems supporting endangered marine life to the scores of species found nowhere else on earth, this biodiversity is intrinsic to human lives, economies, and health…
Creating the conditions for sustainable seagrass restoration in Maputo and Inhambane bays “People can’t think of Inhaca without thinking about seagrass,” says Salamao Bandeira of Maputo’s Eduardo Mondlane University, knee-deep in the shallow waters on the seaward side of Maputo Bay, as he points at the shores of Inhaca Island. Nearby, residents are submerged waist-deep in the sea, taking advantage of the…
“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…