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World Oceans Day: IOC in action to restore marine and coastal ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean region<\/p>\nWorld Oceans Day: IOC in action to restore marine and coastal ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean region<\/p>\n
On June 8, we celebrated the World Oceans Day under the 2023 theme “Planet Ocean: A wave of action”, an opportunity to remember that without the oceans, we would not exist. Hence, the IOC is committed to make conservation and restoration actions in favor of the oceans a top priority.<\/p>\n
In the South-West Indian Ocean region, researchers, communities, marine protected area managers, decision-makers, women, and young people are taking action to restore marine and coastal ecosystems.<\/p>\n
Katia BALLORAIN, Doctor of Ecology, Project Manager for “Sea Turtle Ecology” at the Centre d’\u00c9tude et de D\u00e9couverte des Tortues Marines<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(CEDTM), is one of the many people dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems.<\/p>\n “Seagrass beds are important habitats for sea turtles. As such, I lead seagrass research and monitoring programs in the region,” she explains.<\/p>\n This passionate scientist decided to create the Western Indian Ocean Seagrass Network (WIOSN) in 2017, a platform made up of experts that facilitates the synergy of players around research on seagrass, monitoring, and conservation programs. “WIOSN’s main objectives are to strengthen regional cooperation among researchers and practionners, facilitate the exchange of information, build capacity and share experiences,” she adds.<\/p>\n The need to create this network arose from several observations. Firstly, the absence of a regional network dedicated to the topic, or a platform for exchanging information on seagrass beds (who does what? where?). Secondly, the variety of monitoring methods used and the need to standardise data to obtain a regional outlook on the status of seagrass beds. Finally, a need for filling knowledge gaps and sharing experiences at regional level.<\/p>\n “In 2017, I seized the opportunity of a seagrass monitoring project I was piloting (as part of the Best 2.0 scheme funded by the European Union) to organise a first regional workshop involving a representative of each geographical territory in the Western Indian Ocean region,” she explains.<\/p>\n “Today, the network’s main activities go beyond establishing links between stakeholders to include the development of a common protocol for monitoring seagrass beds and for the study of the specific richness of these beds through genetic analysis. Other activities should soon be carried out thanks to new regional initiatives such as the RECOS project run by the IOC and the WIOCOR project run by the IUCN,” asserts Katia BALLORAIN.<\/p>\n The network now includes about twenty members in ten countries (Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, and Tanzania), but there is a growing need to structure and coordinate the network.<\/p>\n “The RECOS project provides invaluable support to WIOSN, facilitating synergy between programs aimed at conserving seagrass beds in the south-west Indian Ocean”, says Katia, before adding, “RECOS will in particular be able to contribute to the regional mapping of seagrass beds, an essential starting point for enabling the monitoring of these habitats and for easing the mapping of conservation issues”.<\/p>\n Last April, RECOS organised a workshop in the Seychelles on mangroves and seagrass beds key ecosystems. It enabled members of the WIOMN and WIOSN networks to exchange ideas on mangrove restoration methods and ecological monitoring of seagrass beds. Earlier this year in February, RECOS and the Varuna projects have joined forces to strengthen the WIOMPAN network through, among other things, a training on IMET (Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool), a tool that allows an in-depth assessment of\u00a0marine and terrestrial protected areas.<\/p>\n ***********************************************************************<\/p>\n Title: <\/b><\/strong>Journ\u00e9e mondiale des oc\u00e9ans : la COI en action pour restaurer les \u00e9cosyst\u00e8mes marins et c\u00f4tiers de la r\u00e9gion oc\u00e9an Indien occidental<\/p>\n Content:<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n Le 8 juin, nous avons c\u00e9l\u00e9br\u00e9 la\u00a0Journ\u00e9e mondiale des oc\u00e9ans<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0sous le th\u00e8me \u00ab\u00a0Plan\u00e8te Oc\u00e9an\u00a0: Une vague d\u2019actions\u00a0\u00bb en 2023. L\u2019occasion de rappeler que sans oc\u00e9ans, l\u2019humanit\u00e9 n\u2019existerait pas. Par cons\u00e9quent, prioriser les actions en faveur des oc\u00e9ans et leur accorder toute l\u2019attention qu\u2019ils m\u00e9ritent sont plus que l\u00e9gitimes.<\/p>\n Dans la r\u00e9gion du Sud-Ouest de l\u2019oc\u00e9an Indien, chercheurs, communaut\u00e9s, gestionnaires d\u2019aires marines prot\u00e9g\u00e9es, d\u00e9cideurs, femmes et jeunes se mobilisent pour\u00a0restaurer les \u00e9cosyst\u00e8mes marins et c\u00f4tiers<\/b><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Katia BALLORAIN,\u00a0Docteur en Ecologie, Cheffe de projets \u00ab\u00a0Ecologie des tortues marines \u00bb au Centre d\u2019\u00e9tude et de d\u00e9couverte des tortues marines (CEDTM)<\/i><\/em>, fait partie de ces acteurs qui se consacrent \u00e0 la conservation de la biodiversit\u00e9 et des \u00e9cosyst\u00e8mes.<\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0Les herbiers marins constituent des habitats importants pour les tortues marines. A ce titre, je m\u00e8ne des programmes d\u2019\u00e9tude et de suivi des herbiers marins dans la r\u00e9gion\u00a0\u00bb explique-t-elle par rapport \u00e0 son int\u00e9r\u00eat vis-\u00e0-vis des herbiers.<\/p>\n Cette scientifique passionn\u00e9e d\u00e9cide de fonder le r\u00e9seau WIOSN (Western Indian Ocean Seagrass Network<\/a>) en 2017, une plateforme compos\u00e9e d\u2019experts qui\u00a0facilite la synergie des acteurs autour de programmes d\u2019\u00e9tude, de suivi et de conservation des herbiers marins. \u00ab\u00a0Les objectifs principaux du WIOSN sont de renforcer la coop\u00e9ration entre acteurs, de faciliter l\u2019\u00e9change d\u2019informations, et de renforcer les capacit\u00e9s et le partage d\u2019exp\u00e9riences\u00a0\u00bb pr\u00e9cise-t-elle.<\/p>\n Le besoin de cr\u00e9er ce r\u00e9seau est n\u00e9 de plusieurs constats. Tout d\u2019abord, l\u2019absence de r\u00e9seau r\u00e9gional d\u00e9di\u00e9 \u00e0 la th\u00e9matique ou de plateforme d\u2019\u00e9change d\u2019informations sur les herbiers marins\u00a0(qui fait quoi\u00a0? o\u00f9 ?). Ensuite, la vari\u00e9t\u00e9 des m\u00e9thodes de monitoring utilis\u00e9es et le besoin de standardiser les donn\u00e9es pour obtenir une vision r\u00e9gionale de l\u2019\u00e9tat de sant\u00e9 des herbiers. Enfin, l\u2019existence de nombreuses lacunes de connaissances et la n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 d\u2019un partage d\u2019exp\u00e9riences au niveau r\u00e9gional.<\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0En 2017, j\u2019ai saisi l\u2019opportunit\u00e9 d\u2019un projet de suivi des herbiers marins que je pilotais (dans le cadre du dispositif Best 2.0 financ\u00e9 par l\u2019Union europ\u00e9enne<\/a>) pour organiser un premier atelier de travail r\u00e9gional auquel \u00e9tait invit\u00e9 un repr\u00e9sentant de chaque territoire g\u00e9ographique de la r\u00e9gion de l\u2019oc\u00e9an Indien occidental\u00a0\u00bb confie-t-elle.<\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0Aujourd\u2019hui, au-del\u00e0 de la mise en relation des acteurs, les principales activit\u00e9s du r\u00e9seau sont l\u2019\u00e9laboration d\u2019un protocole commun de monitoring des herbiers marins et l\u2019\u00e9tude de la richesse sp\u00e9cifique de ces herbiers par analyse g\u00e9n\u00e9tique. D\u2019autres activit\u00e9s devraient prochainement \u00eatre men\u00e9es gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 de nouvelles initiatives r\u00e9gionales telles que le projet\u00a0RECOS<\/a>\u00a0port\u00e9 par la COI ou encore le projet WIOCOR port\u00e9 par l\u2019UICN\u00a0\u00bb affirme Katia BALLORAIN.<\/p>\n Le r\u00e9seau compte maintenant\u00a0une vingtaine de membres r\u00e9partis au sein de dix pays\u00a0(Afrique du Sud, Comores, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Maurice, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalie, Tanzanie) mais les besoins en structuration et coordination du r\u00e9seau sont croissants.<\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0Le projet RECOS apporte un soutien pr\u00e9cieux au WIOSN en facilitant la synergie au sein des programmes visant la conservation des herbiers marins du Sud-Ouest de l\u2019oc\u00e9an Indien\u00a0\u00bb affirme Katia avant d\u2019ajouter \u00ab\u00a0RECOS pourra notamment contribuer \u00e0 la cartographie r\u00e9gionale des herbiers marins, base n\u00e9cessaire aux op\u00e9rations de suivi de ces habitats et de cartographie des enjeux de conservation\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n En avril dernier, RECOS organisait aux Seychelles un atelier portant sur les \u00e9cosyst\u00e8mes essentiels que sont les mangroves et les herbiers marins. Il a permis \u00e0 des membres des r\u00e9seaux WIOMN et WIOSN d\u2019\u00e9changer sur les m\u00e9thodes de restauration de mangrove et de suivi \u00e9cologique des herbiers marins.<\/p>\n Plus t\u00f4t dans l\u2019ann\u00e9e en f\u00e9vrier,\u00a0RECOS se joignait au\u00a0programme Varuna<\/a>\u00a0pour renforcer le r\u00e9seau WIOMPAN \u00e0 travers, entre autres, une formation IMET (Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool), un outil qui permet une \u00e9valuation approfondie des zones prot\u00e9g\u00e9es marines et terrestres.<\/p>\n\n World Oceans Day: IOC in action to restore marine and coastal ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean region On June 8, we celebrated the World Oceans Day under the 2023 theme “Planet Ocean: A wave of action”, an opportunity to remember that without the oceans, we would not exist. Hence, the IOC is committed to<\/p>\nNews & Events<\/a>, <\/span>Upcoming & Ongoing Events<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"