WIOMSA and VARUNA are teaming up for a second time to offer a French language WIO-COMPAS certification assessment, set for 12–15 May 2026 in Nosy Be, Madagascar. This follow-up event builds on the success of an initial collaboration in 2024 and widens the path for Francophone marine-protected-area (MPA) professionals who want to measure their skills against an international benchmark.
This four-day assessment has attracted one of the largest cohorts WIO-COMPAS has seen: twenty-three practitioners—twelve Level 1 field operators and eleven Level 2 site managers—from Comoros, Madagascar and Seychelles. Each participant will be tested across seven competency domains that define effective MPA management: governance; marine conservation tools; communication and stakeholder engagement; human and financial resource mobilisation and management; implementation and effectiveness; understanding of biophysical and socio-economic context; and leadership, ethics and innovation.
Practitioners who excel in the assessment will earn WIO-COMPAS certification and join a growing network of professionals dedicated to safeguarding the Western Indian Ocean’s marine heritage.
For WIOMSA and VARUNA, the Nosy Be event is a renewed commitment to building the region’s capacity for effective, accountable and forward-looking MPA stewardship. Assessors and candidates launched the pre-event preparations with an introductory webinar on 23 March 2026.
