The Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and the Nairobi Convention Secretariat have released the newest volume of the WIO Science to Policy Platform Series (Volume 1, Issue 2, 2026). Functioning as an intermediary between scientific research and societal decision-making, the Science to Policy Platform (SPP) equips the Contracting Parties of the Nairobi Convention with peer-reviewed evidence to protect and sustainably manage the region’s marine and coastal resources.
Building directly on outcomes from the 2023 Maputo Science to Policy workshop and the Eleventh Conference of Parties (CoP11) in Antananarivo, this issue provides operational guidance to deliver the region’s Integrated Regional Programme (2025–2035) across six critical themes:
- Tackling Marine Plastic Pollution: With up to 96% of plastic waste mismanaged in parts of the region, the brief calls for harmonized sampling and monitoring protocols—particularly for microplastics—and urges the inclusion of landlocked river-basin countries in regional source-to-sea strategies ahead of the global plastics treaty.
- Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) for the Northern Mozambique Channel: Covering an area holding 35% of the Indian Ocean’s coral reefs and US$277 billion in natural capital, this 2025–2035 roadmap outlines transboundary governance across five nations to resolve conflicts between oil and gas exploration, shipping routes, and Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs).
- Co-Designing the Blue Economy: Addressing the disconnect between researchers, coastal communities, and policymakers, this paper provides a framework to institutionalize participatory governance, integrate traditional knowledge, and secure legal recognition for Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs).
- Advancing Seagrass Conservation and Blue Carbon: Despite sustaining artisanal fisheries and providing US$20.8 billion in ecosystem services, seagrass remains under-mapped and under-protected. The brief proposes a unified Regional Seagrass Strategy by 2026 and provides a roadmap for integrating blue carbon into national climate pledges (NDCs), mirroring recent progress in Seychelles.
- Urgent Protections for Sharks and Rays: With 39% of the WIO’s 235 shark and ray species threatened with extinction, existing MPAs overlap with only 11–12% of their distribution ranges. Authors urge immediate national enforcement of CMS Appendix I listings and IOTC retention bans, alongside integrating Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) into national marine spatial plans.
- Improving Small-Scale Fisheries Compliance: Identifying four systematic drivers of fisheries non-compliance—limited legal awareness, social-cultural dependencies, corruption, and inter-agency silos—this paper sets out reforms to strengthen Beach Management Units (BMUs), establish reporting safeguards, and implement transparent co-management enforcement.
This issue provides governments, practitioners, and civil society with the evidence required to secure healthy ecosystems and sustainable coastal livelihoods.
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