WIO-COMPAS

Protecting Our Ocean
Management of Marine Protected Areas
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Building Capacity
Leveraging on improving knowledge skills and best practices.
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Protecting the Future
Conservation of Marine Ecosystems through building partnerships
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Effective MPA Management
Join us in this exciting new approach to building capacity for effective management of our region’s MPAs.
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What is WIO-COMPAS?

The Western Indian Ocean Certification of Marine Protected Area Professionals (WIO-COMPAS) Programme is a certification programme that evaluates MPA practitioners and ensures that they meet the highest standards in the MPA management speciality. WIO-COMPAS is a joint initiative of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and the Coastal Resources Center (CRC) at the University of Rhode Island (URI). 

WIO-COMPAS is a comprehensive and independent evaluation system of MPA practitioners’ experience, knowledge and skills. It ensures that MPA practitioners in the WIO are meeting the highest standards in the MPA management speciality. Certification is a voluntary process that demonstrates an MPA practitioner’s commitment to meeting a higher standard. Certified MPA professionals (MPA PROs) have worked in MPAs for more than three years, completed different professional training and have demonstrated competencies (skills, knowledge and abilities) required for MPA management.

To maintain their certification, the MPA PROs continue to update their knowledge, participate in ongoing professional development, demonstrate that they are improving their MPAs, and consistently meet standards of professionalism. By meeting the requirements of continuing certification, MPA PROs are making a concerted effort to stay up to date and to sustain and improve the quality of  the MPAs where they work.

For more, please visit the WIO-COMPAS website: https://www.wio-compas.org/

The certification process

It takes approximately three to four months from the time you are accepted into the WIO-COMPAS Programme to the time you receive your certification. The certification process varies slightly between the three Levels so that they can be tailored to the unique needs of the candidates

Levels of Certification

Why a Certification Program?

In contrast to stand-alone training courses, the WIO-COMPAS Programme signals that an individual has reached a standard level of performance and skills related to a specific set of competences based on not only a course of study/training, but practical experience, application and testing.

 

Certified individuals have also agreed to adhere to a set of professional standards of conduct or code of ethics. WIO-COMPAS is not a training course. It does support other training programmes by establishing internationally recognized standards of performance for the WIO Region.

Join us in this exciting new approach to building capacity for effective management of our region's MPA's & OECM's.