WWF regional seascape conservation programme emphasizes benefits for nature and coastal communities

Posted on 21 October 2022

Antananarivo, Madagascar – WWF launched the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) Seascape, a regional collaboration encompassing South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar that will work closely with coastal communities to protect biodiversity and improve management of small-scale fisheries so they can sustainably support food security and livelihoods.

Fisheries resources in the SWIO region experience severe pressure from overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. Destructive fishing gear and unsustainable development have degraded critical habitats where fish breed and mature, leading to declining fish stocks. Impacts on communities include reduced food security, loss of livelihood opportunities and reduced incomes from fisheries, tourism and other economic sectors that depend on coastal resources. The impact of IUU fishing in the region alone is estimated at approximately $400 million annually.

The SWIO Seascape will combat IUU and unsustainable fishing through robust community engagement and support for local organizations as they push SWIO governments to negotiate fairer, transparent and equitable terms for fisheries access by foreign fleets.

“For marine resource management with communities to be sustainable and effective it is necessary to support community resilience and preserve the SWIO region, one of the most important marine biodiversity centres on our planet,” said Nanie Ratsifandrihamana, Country Director of WWF-Madagascar. “Scaling up community initiatives using a sustainable blue economy approach will help us make an impact at national and regional levels.”

This seascape work builds on WWF’s decades of experience in SWIO countries. WWF and local partner organizations are now raising the ambition to advocate for anti-IUU measures and work alongside the governments, academia and other NGOs to adopt management and conservation measures in policy forums such as Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission among others.

Support for this work comes in part from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), which has provided funding (81 570 018 Norwegian Kroners) for five years to combat IUU fishing and help develop a sustainable blue economy in the region.

“The socio-economic well-being of coastal communities in Africa and elsewhere is intimately linked to the health of our oceans,” said Samantha Petersen, WWF’s South West Indian Ocean Seascape Lead. “Marine resources are essential to our continent and it is time to give our coastal communities the place they deserve as guardians of our oceans and engage them in decision-making processes.”

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