These are the partners TBCA has been working with.
The Blue Action Fund is currently supporting 16 conservation projects across the globe, including the development of a resilient network of marine protected areas in selected countries in the WIO led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and in partnership with WIOMSA, the Kenya Wildlife Service and Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves Unit.
The Blue Nature Alliance collaborates with local stakeholders and champions to identify engagement locations, articulate shared objectives, and design the strategic interventions needed to achieve measurable outcomes for the creation of new Ocean Conservation Areas, and the expansion, improved management or upgraded protections of existing areas.
Our aim is to advance Ocean Conservation Areas, inclusive of Marine Protected Areas, Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures, Indigenous Protected Areas, and other innovative place-based interventions designed to achieve biodiversity conservation outcomes. A significant, but not exclusive, focus of the Alliance will be on Large Scale Marine Protected Areas.
The Blue Nature Alliance is a global partnership founded and led by Conservation International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob & Melani Walton Foundation.
The Blue Nature Alliance is currently supporting the capacity building of MPA managers across the WIO, including MPA managers and staff from Kenya and Tanzania and the proposed TBCA region.
UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) promotes international cooperation and coordinates programmes in marine research, services, observation systems, hazard mitigation, and capacity development in order to understand and effectively manage the resources of the ocean and coastal areas. By applying this knowledge, the Commission aims to improve the governance, management, institutional capacity, and decision-making processes of its Member States with respect to marine resources and climate variability and to foster sustainable development of the marine environment, in particular in developing countries.
In 2010 the IOC celebrated its 50th anniversary. Beginning with the International Indian Ocean Expedition in 1960, the Commission has coordinated and promoted programmes and activities in ocean observations, ocean science, and reduction of marine hazards.
IOC coordinates ocean observation and monitoring through the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) which aims to develop a unified network providing information and data exchange on the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the ocean. Governments, industry, scientists, and the public use this information to act on marine issues.
IOC’s work in ocean observation and science contributes to building the knowledge base of the science of climate change. IOC sponsors the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the IOC’s GOOS serves as the ocean component of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), which supports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). UNESCO-IOC is co-convener with the World Meteorological Organization of the World Climate Change Conference which aims to systematically make the existing knowledge on climate science available to a wide variety of potential users.
IOC also coordinates and fosters the establishment of regional intergovernmental coordinating tsunami warning and mitigation systems in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, in the North East Atlantic, Mediterranean and Caribbean seas.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) conserves and manages Kenya’s wildlife for the Kenyan people and the world. It is a state corporation that was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 376), now repealed by WCMA (2013), with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Kenya, and to enforce related laws and regulations. KWS undertakes conservation and management of wildlife resources across all protected areas systems in collaboration with stakeholders. It is our goal to work with others to conserve, protect and sustainably manage wildlife resources. The community wildlife program of KWS in collaboration with others encourages biodiversity conservation by communities living on land essential to wildlife, such as wildlife corridors and dispersal lands outside parks and reserves. The premise is that ” if people benefit from wildlife and other natural resources, then they will take care of these resources.”
The KWS together with MPRU are co-leading the spatial planning initiatives for the TBCA. This includes leading the stakeholder processes and liaising with various stakeholders from the government, private sector, non-government organisations, academic institutions and community groups. KWS and MPRU are crucial to the partnerships, because they help ensure different kinds of data and stakeholder values are considered in the planning process. These institutions will also help feedback and gain legal and political support from government officials to help formally establish the TBCA.
Macquarie University consistently excels globally as a leader of sustainable discovery and innovation by conducting research that translate into real improvements for local, national and global communities. The university’s researchers address many of the big, important questions facing the world. Their contributions to date have had far-reaching consequences globally, translating into real improvements for local, national and global communities. The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences places a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research and have extensive collaborative partnerships with industry and other academic institutions.
Drs Joseph Maina and Vera Horigue from the Spatial Decisions Group are conservation planners with extensive experience on marine conservation planning, management, and governance in East Africa and South East Asia. They are currently providing technical support to develop the spatial plan for the TBCA, which includes guiding the stakeholder processes for data collection, creating the spatial design scenarios for the stakeholders, and refining the spatial plans based on the agreements made by stakeholders. They also serve as the custodians for the spatial datasets of the project.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, is Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation. It strives to reduce world poverty by allocating resources and knowledge with the goal of making a difference for people in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. To achieve this, SIDA collaborates with actors from civil society and universities as well as the public and private sector.
Sida’s operations on Sustainable oceans and water resources contribute towards the following goals:
§ Stronger protection and restoration, and sustainable management and use of marine, coastal and freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity, natural resources and ecosystem services.
§ Cleaner water and oceans, reduced emissions of pollutants and reduced littering.
The Marine Parks and Reserves Unit was established under the Marine Parks and Reserves (MPRU) Act 29 of 1994. The MPRU is Managed by the Board of Trustees whose role among other things is to oversee management of marine parks and reserves operating under auspice of MPRU, formulating policies on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and related facilities, and advise the responsible Minister (currently the Minister Of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries) on approval, revision and amendment of general management plan of any Marine Parks including other legislative matters pertaining to the conservation and Management of Coastal and Marine resources.
The MPRU together with KWS are co-leading the spatial planning initiatives for the TBCA. This includes leading the stakeholder processes and liaising with various stakeholders from the government, private sector, non-government organisations, academic institutions and community groups. KWS and MPRU are crucial to the partnerships, because they help ensure different kinds of data and stakeholder values are considered in the planning process. These institutions will also help feedback and gain legal and political support from government officials to help formally establish the TBCA.
The Nairobi Convention—signed by Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and the Republic of South Africa — provides a platform for governments, civil society, and the private sector to work together for the sustainable management and use of the marine and coastal environment.
As a regional institution, they help feedback the lessons learned from the project to the other countries. They also help engage with the WIO governments, including Kenya and Tanzania, through their country focal points.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world’s largest wild places in 14 priority regions. WCS’s goal is to conserve the world’s largest wild places in 14 priority regions, home to more than 50% of the world’s biodiversity.
The WCS is responsible for supporting stakeholder engagement processes and have conducted fisheries and coral reef assessments related to the TBCA region.
