Browsing by Author "Celliers, Louis"

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    Coastal and Marine Research and Capacity Building
    (United Nations Environment Programme/Nairobi Convention Secretariat, 2015-06) Francis, Julius; Celliers, Louis; Rosendo, Sergio
    Most, if not all, of the recommendations contained in this State of the Coast Report, relies on two cross-cutting and fundamental qualities. Firstly, managers, decision- and pol-icy-makers and the various end-users have access to the products of scientific research in order to wisely govern and manage the use and exploitation of resources. In this con-text, data, information and knowledge are the basis for real-ising the benefit of an Ocean Economy. Secondly, both the management of resources and the underpinning knowl-edge base relies on the availability of people with the appropriate capability to be responsible custodians of such resources. Accordingly, education, awareness and training offer a long-term solution for the sustainable development of a coastal and ocean economy. The core objectives of this chapter are first, to help in the understanding of how national and regional research agendas can contribute to a consistent and complete “big-ger picture” of data, information and knowledge required to manage the coastal and marine resources of the West-ern Indian Ocean (WIO), and secondly, present processes that contribute to the regional and national knowledge-base. The first part of the chapter will examine the past, current and future coastal and marine research priorities at various scales and how research has been or is con-ducted in the region. The second part of the chapter will explore the development of regional capacity for coastal and marine research and how existing research has been supported in the past. The chapter will conclude with successes on how science has contributed to decision- and policy-making in the region
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    Regional State of the Coast Report Western Indian Ocean
    (The United Nations Environment Programme/Nairobi Convention Secretariat, 2015) Barwell, Lauri; Bosire, Jared; Bourjea, Jérôme; Schleyer, Michael H.; Celliers, Louis; Paula, José
    The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region spans across a large latitudinal range, from the Somalia region, influenced by the strong monsoon regime of the northern Indian Ocean, to the southern temperate regime of the tip of South Africa, where the Agulhas current diverges from the northward moving Atlantic Benguela current. It encompasses tropical and subtropical regions of diverse nature, rich stretches of coast along the mainland countries of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, and vast oceanic areas surrounding the island states of Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius and French Territories. Geomorphological and oceanographic features define the character of the WIO. The social tissue of the of the WIO, where much of the population lives at the coast, is an amalgam of diverse populations with different origins, a product of the rich and varied political history, where networks of trade interactions have generated a high ethnic and cultural diversity. The cultural heritage is thus important and matches the natural richness of the region. Most countries in the WIO have high population growth rates, and coastal development is expected to grow accordingly. The Regional State of the Coast Report (RSOCR) derives from requirements of the Nairobi Convention and contributes to the United Nations-led production of the World Ocean Assessment (WOA) reports as well as to other global and regional processes, such as the Environment Outlooks coordinated by UNEP. The RSOCR aims to integrate the socio-economic and ecological systems of the WIO region by using a uniform methodology based on the Opportunities Framework and the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, Status, Impacts, Responses) approach. The RSOCR’s approach has been adapted from the WOA framework, however the content and organization of the concluding chapters are based on the distinct needs of the WIO region. While the political agenda included the Contracting Parties and their National Focal Points to the Nairobi Convention, the technical process was guided by WIOMSA (Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association) and involved a representative set of scientists with broad experience in the region. The RSOCR’s main objectives are to i) provide a comprehensive baseline, ii) highlight main opportunities, iii) describe successes and challenges, iv) identify capacity building needs, v) identify knowledge gaps, and vi) propose policy options.