News
Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Fisheries Management in Sub-Saharan African Countries
The FAO, World Bank and WWF through the EAME secretariat are involved in a process towards the development of strategic fund for ensuring sustainable fisheries management in Sub-Saharan African Countries. Participants at the consultative meetings organized in January 2005 in Dakar, Senegal and June 2005 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania reaffirmed that most of the marine fisheries in Sub-Saharan Africa are heavily fished or over exploited and require strengthening of fisheries sector governance in order for the countries to achieve the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) targets for fisheries sustainability and poverty reduction. Assistance is critically needed for the countries and it is perceived that strategic partnership idea is a suitable mechanism to lobby for financial support required to implement planned interventions.
The strategic partnership is specifically aimed at building the capacity of respective countries to implement policy and institutional reforms for achieving sustainable fisheries management. The goal of the partnership is to achieve sustainable fisheries in at least 10 Sub-Saharan African Countries by 2015.
Fisheries Partnership Agreements (FPAs) report for WIO
EAME has published the Fisheries Partnership Agreements (FPAs) report for WIO. The information is useful material for EAME states in negotiating fair and equitable FPAs. The report includes a comprehensive review of available statistics on the status of existing FPA between WIO states and the EU that would inform the coastal states on conditions for future fishing negotiations. The report also give details of annual catch statistics, how much the countries received and how much profit the distant fishing fleets accrue annually. It is am countries (the report is available from the EAME secretariat)
Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Declared Marine Ramsar Site
Tanzania has declared Rufiji Delta a Ramsar Site since January 2005. Known as the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Marine Ramsar site this will be a fourth Wetland of International Importance in Tanzania for expanded protection under the international Ramsar Convention. The Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Marine Ramsar Site is a complex of coastal and marine habitats that as recently as four years ago was approved by the government for a giant prawn farm.
The newly protected site covers the delta of the Rufiji River; the Mafia Island about 25 kilometers offshore and surrounding smaller islands, sandbars, and coral reefs; the Songo-Songo Archipelago to the south and adjacent waters, including the Mafia Channel and waters between Mafia and Songo-Songo. Area of the Ramsar Site covers exactly the same area of the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa seascape, a priority site of global importance for EAME.
Mozambique Accedes to Ramsar Convention
Mozambique has become the 141st Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention after recently depositing its instruments of accession to the Convention on Wetlands. The country’s first wetland of international importance is the “marromeu complex” a magnificent wetland that is made up of the Marromeu Buffalo Reserve and four surrounding hunting concessions in Northern Sofala Province. This complex, whose total area is 1,300,000 hectares, has more than 68,000 ha of dry forest and woodland savanna, floodplain grassland, deepwater swamp, coastal dunes and mangrove forest. The complex also exhibits an impressive variety of wildlife species among which are the cape buffalo, waterbuck, sable antelope, lichestein’s hartebeest, burchell’s zebra and the African elephant.
WWF’s Living Waters Programme, the WWF Mozambique Programme Office and the Mozambique Government’s National Directorate of Environmental Management all contributed immensely to the accession process.
First Ever Pearl Cultivated in the Western Indian Ocean at Mafia Island
In December 2004, what are thought to be the first ever cultured pearls produced in the Western Indian Ocean, were harvested in Mafia Island in Tanzania. About 150 pearls were yielded by a trial culture of black-lip pearl oysters (Pinctada margaritifera), supported by the WWF Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Seascape Programme, part of the Eastern African Marine Ecoregion (EAME) initiative.
This pioneering livelihood activity is being conducted in association with pearl culture expert Dr Paul Southgate from James Cook University in Australia. The long-term aim is to establish small-scale artisanal pearl production that will generate revenue for local fishing communities within Mafia Island Marine Park, reducing dependence on fishing and strengthening perceptions that the marine park can benefit local residents, as well as protecting the outstanding regional marine biodiversity.
The pearls produced in Mafia are ‘half-pearls’, known in the trade as ‘mabe’, and are suitable for setting in pendants or ear-rings. Half-pearls can be grown in just 6-8 months whereas the higher value whole necklace pearls take 18-24 months. The next step in Mafia is to set the pearls and conduct a marketing trial with the steadily increasing number of international tourists visiting Mafia each year.
For more information on pearl farming contact jrubens@wwftz.org
Gear Exchange for Sustainable Fisheries in Kiunga - Kenya
Fishermen in Kiunga Marine National Reserve (KMNR) in Kenya got new sustainable fishing gears through an exchange programme organized by WWF. Approximately USD 27,000, being a grant from Vodafone Group Foundation (VGF), was used to support approximately 300 fishermen to acquire legal and sustainable fishing gears which include legal fishing nets, masks, snorkels, fins, hooks, fishing lines and repair kits. The program aims at ensuring that prohibited fishing gears are excluded from KMNR by initiating a revolving fund where WWF acquires legal and non-destructive fishing gears and exchange them with illegal ones.
For more information contact Sam Weru werus@eikmail.com
Progress Being Made be EAME Countries in Achieving CBD MPA Targets
The countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique have made rapid progress in the last two decades in establishing systems of marine protected areas (MPAs). The size of more recently designated MPAs is markedly larger than that of early MPAs. The area of continental shelf that is now protected is 8.7% in Kenya, 7.7% in Tanzania and 4.0% for Mozambique.
The location of MPAs shows a good correlation with sites of high species diversity and coral reefs are well represented. There are also indications that the effectiveness of management is increasing in each country. However, there are major challenges to meeting the deadlines that have been set (2012 for a significantly larger, effectively managed, representative, global system of MPAs, comprising both multiple use areas and strictly protected areas). Many habitats and species are not yet fully represented in the MPA system, and improvements are needed before the MPA systems can be said to be effectively managed. Equally important is the need to establish better monitoring systems for measuring and assessing progress towards the targets.
back to top
EAME Newsletter achive
back to top
|
