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WIOMSA Admin
21
Aug

From country experience to regional action

August 21, 2026
On October 19–20, 2026, WIOMPAN Country Chapter Chairs will convene in Maputo, Mozambique, to engineer the network’s inaugural Annual Status Snapshot. The Snapshot will provide a concise, evidence-based view of marine conservation areas and the people who manage them across WIOMPAN countries. It will consolidate current information on marine protected areas, national commitments for expansion,...
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21
Aug

Charting a Course for Inclusive Conservation: The Hifadhi Blu Gender Action Plan

August 21, 2026
For too long, systemic barriers and entrenched gender norms have excluded women and marginalized groups from marine conservation leadership, diminishing the overall resilience and effectiveness of Ocean Conservation Areas across the Western Indian Ocean. To turn the tide, the Hifadhi Blu Programme has introduced its transformative Gender Action Plan (2025–2029). As a pioneering strategic framework,...
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21
Aug

From plans to practice: Hifadhi Blu’s second cohort puts management effectiveness at the centre

August 21, 2026
Across the Western Indian Ocean, marine conservation areas operate in very different ecological, social and institutional settings. Some have management plans but struggle to translate them into day-to-day decisions. Others need stronger governance arrangements, better compliance systems or more meaningful community participation. At highly established sites, the challenge may instead be adapting strong existing systems...
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20
Aug

Women leading fisheries data collection in the Barren Isles, Madagascar

August 20, 2026
Since 2012, Blue Ventures has been at the forefront of community-led fisheries monitoring in the Barren Isles, Madagascar. What started as a small initiative with just six community members, including four women, has developed into a thriving program. This year, the effort expanded to a total of 12 villages, with a remarkable 38 data collectors,...
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20
Aug

Six Years of Weekly Monitoring of Marine Turtle Nesting Activity at Grande Saziley Beach, Mayotte

August 20, 2026
In Mayotte, five species of marine turtles inhabit the lagoon: the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), the hawksbill turtle(Eretmochelys imbricata), the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea). Among them, two species nest on the island’s beaches: the green turtle and the hawksbill turtle. In southern Mayotte,...
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20
Aug

A Voice of their Own: Coastal Communities Launch the WIO LMMA Alliance

August 20, 2026
The WIO LMMA Alliance brings together communities across the Western Indian Ocean, strengthening their collective voice and creating a platform to share, learn and scale locally led marine conservation. On 16 June 2026, the Western Indian Ocean Locally Managed Marine Area (WIO LMMA) Alliance was officially launched at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa,...
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20
Aug

LaSMMI: Seagrass Science Into Action Webinar 

August 20, 2026
The Large-Scale Seagrass Mapping and Management Initiative (LaSMMI) is transforming coastal ecosystem management across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). By producing the region’s first field-verified seagrass maps and carbon stock assessments, LaSMMI turns critical data into actionable policy. To explore the tangible impacts of this initiative, the upcoming interactive webinar, “LaSMMI: Seagrass Science into Action,”...
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20
Aug

Building a Climate Change Observatory in the Mozambique Channel 

August 20, 2026
The MARIO project aims to improve knowledge and monitoring of marine ecosystems in the south-western Indian Ocean to support their conservation. As part of the project, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) are strengthening climate change monitoring in the Éparses Islands, a group of five remote islands and atolls around Madagascar administered as the...
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20
Aug

Artificial Intelligence meets Reef Restoration

August 20, 2026
A recent study published in PLOS ONE examines the soundscape of a reef undergoing restoration at Cousin Island Special Reserve in Seychelles. Led by Emily Croasdale, in collaboration with Nature Seychelles, the research compared three reef sites: one being restored, one healthy, and one degraded. Recordings were captured in November 2023. To analyse the recordings,...
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20
Aug

New Wings for Marine Conservation: Drone Training Takes Off in Tanzania

August 20, 2026
“This training has taken us to another level of perception.” – Amos Singo, Senior Marine Conservation Warden, MBREMP When the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and local partners launched the drone pilot training for Tanzania’s marine managers, the goal was clear: equip teams with tools to protect coastal ecosystems more effectively. But the...
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