Building Back Biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean: Revision of the Nairobi Convention Protocol

Building Back Biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean: Revision of the Nairobi Convention Protocol The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region is home to a staggering degree of marine biodiversity. From the waters of Mauritius (which 1,700 marine species call home), the 156 types of fish in Madagascar (66% of fish of which can be found nowhere else), to South Africa…

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Celebrating Marine Protected Areas in South Africa: Lessons Learned and What’s Next

A Conversation with Judy Mann, Conservation Strategist at the South African Association for Marine Biological Research On 1 August 2021, South Africans came together to celebrate their Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, Day. MPAs can be defined as an area of ocean or coastline that has been specially-designated for protection for the benefit of nature…

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Ensuring ‘Blue Growth’ in fisheries communities in the Western Indian Ocean region

Ensuring ‘Blue Growth’ in fisheries communities in the Western Indian Ocean region Small-scale and subsistence fisheries are the backbone of many communities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region, providing income, food, and jobs to an estimated one million inhabitants. Yet 40% of the fish stocks targeted by these fisheries are being unsustainably exploited—causing risks…

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Global and local threats to mangroves in the Western Indian Ocean region identified in a new publication

A new study published in the Wiley Journal of Global Ecology and Biogeography has determined that both human pressures, when coupled with erosion, drought, and sea-level changes (i.e. certain effects of climate change), are the main culprits behind the diminishing mangrove forests in the Western Indian Ocean region. Mangroves, unique trees that thrive in saltwater,…

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In Tanzania, locals and officials band together to save mangroves

But the mangroves, which are also home to many species, like ray fish, hongwe, migratory birds and sea turtles, are sometimes seen as obstacles to be cut down, occupying land that can be used to grow rice and graze livestock. Such over-dependence on mangroves in the Rufiji Delta, home to 50 per cent of Tanzania’s mangroves, has led to a depletion of these forests, threatening residents’way of life.

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Integrating Research into Marine Conservation – The Seychelles

A Q&A with Dr. Jude Bijoux- Marine Conservation, Fisheries and Climate Change Adaptation Consultant The fisheries sector in the Seychelles archipelago is well developed with artisanal fisheries, semi-industrial fisheries and industrial fisheries providing food security and employment opportunities for the community. According to the World Bank, the sector is the second largest in the country…

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