A new issue of Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science is out and consists of the following papers:

A new issue of Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science is out and consists of the following papers:

i)  S.B. Mahongo and J. Francis - Monthly Variations in Sea Level at the Island of Zanzibar.

ii)  J.F. Machiwa – Coastal Marine Pollution in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) relative to Recommended Environmental Quality Targets for the Western Indian Ocean.

iii) E.O. Okuku, V.K. Mubiana, K.G. Hagos, H.K. Peter and R. Blust – Bioavailability of Sediment-bound Heavy Metals on the East African Coast

iv) Sarah Hamylton, Annelise Hagan and Tom Spencer – Development of a Regional Habitat Classification Scheme for the Amirante Islands, Seychelles

v) Isobel Pring and Nicholas V. C. Polunin – Effects of Seismic Exploration on Mangrove Habitat in Tanzania

vi) A. Brito – Lunar Cycles, Catchability of Penaeid Shrimps and Implications for the Management of the Shrimp Fishery on Sofala Bank in Mozambique

vii)  Simon Agembe, Chrisestom M. Mlewa and Boaz Kaunda-Arara – Catch Composition, Abundance and Length-Weight Relationships of Groupers (Pisces: Serranidae) from Inshore Waters of Kenya

viii) C.A. Muhando – Calibration of Community-based Coral Reef Monitoring Protocols: Tanzanian Case Study

ix) Jade Q. Maggs, Camilla Floros, Marcos A.M. Pereira and Michael H. Schleyer – Rapid Visual Assessment of Fish Communities onSelected Reefs in the Bazaruto Archipelago

The Ocean Yearbook co-editors invite submissions for Volume 26, to be published by Brill/Martinus Nijhoff.  Articles on issues and prospects, ocean governance, living resources of the ocean, non-living ocean resources, transportation and communications, environment and coastal management, maritime security, military activities, regional developments, training and education, and ocean polar issues will be considered.  Details online:
http://law.dal.ca/Files/MEL_Institute/OYB/OYB_2010/OYB_Call_For_Papers_Volume_26-2011.pdf

The Ocean Yearbook has initiated an annual competition for students writing research papers on marine affairs subjects.  Details online:
http://law.dal.ca/Files/MEL_Institute/OYB/OYB_2010/Student_Prize_2011.pdf

WIOMSA and ReCoMap are organizing a Sustainable Coastal Fisheries in the WIO: A Symposium on the Role of MPAs that will be held from 7-10 February 2011 in Mombasa, Kenya.

Reflecting the growing use and expectations of marine protected areas (MPAs) and community‐based management areas (CBMAs) in the region, The Marine Science for Management (MASMA) programme of WIOMSA and ReCoMaP have recently funded a number of projects related to aspects of closed area design, management and impact.

This Symposium will disseminate and communicate key findings and lessons learnt from these projects to participating policy makers. The event will be facilitated by experts from within the region and from elsewhere. In addition, there will be extensive opportunities for discussions groups, peer‐to‐peer review and expert comment and analyses from the guest speakers/facilitators. The expectation of the event is that it will, inter alia, lead to a priority listing of recommendations for targeted research and management interventions at national and regional levels, framed in deliverables that may include reports, policy briefs and publications.

As co‐sponsoring organisations, ReCoMaP and WIOMSA will invite participants directly from research project teams. In addition, representatives from national and regional marine governance institutions, conservation bodies and donor/funding agencies will be invited. In addition, a number of key experts will be invited to present key‐note papers, provide analytical support and to facilitate and guide the event. Financial support to attend the event will be provided by WIOMSA and ReCoMaP to the majority of participants.

For more details, please contact:

Jan Robinson (jrobinson@sfa.sc) or Jim Anderson (james.anderson@coi-ioc.org) or Julius Francis (julius@wiomsa.org).

Deadline for application 1st May 2011

Students who graduated or will graduate in summer 2011 as (at least) a Bachelor of a subject related to natural resources and / or socioeconomics may apply at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Germany to be one of the 25 participants admitted for the two-year study programme Global Change Management (M.Sc.). Classes will begin in September 2011.

A diverse, practical and up-to-date study programme is implemented through close cooperation with renowned institutions of related research and practical background. These institutions are among others the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), Germanwatch, the MunichRe, the Naturschutzbund (NABU), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the von-Thünen-Institut (vTI).

Further information can be found in the attachment and at www.hnee.de/GCM

Kantilal Jivan or Kanti as he is better known, a WIOMSA Member and father of WIOMSA President Dr. Nirmal Jivan Shah, passed away suddenly at Victoria Hospital, Mahe, Seychelles on Thursday 21^st October at 13.15. He was active till the end successfully running  his business, entertaining and meeting people including students, cooking his own vegetarian fare every day and on Tuesday 19^th enthusiastically showing clients new goods he had received.

Kanti  needs no introduction either locally or internationally. He has promoted the Seychelles all around the world. He was the first Seychellois to have received the Seychelles National Tourism Trophy. He was the leader of Seychelles First Tourism Delegation to Europe. He served as the Chair of the  Seychelles Small Hotels and Guesthouse Association for many years. He attended the Salon Mondale de Tourism for several years running. He has been featured in more than two hundred magazine and newspaper articles, TV interviews and films. He starred with Omar Shariff in the film “Return to Eden” and was included by Ian Fleming as a character in a story in the James Bond novel “For Your Eyes Only”. He wrote many articles about the Seychelles and was a prolific speaker at many national and international meetings  and fora including at the Indian Ocean Symposium, the Babha Atomic Research Centre, the Lindblad Explorer, SS Universe Floating University, Seychelles Bicentennial Celebrations and Central Bank Annual Symposium.

He is a pioneer in the creation of national parks and protection of species in Seychelles. He is a winner of numerous awards notably the United Nations Environmental Program Global 500 Award for environmental achievement, for his work in setting up national and marine parks in Seychelles, in protecting turtles and seabirds and in banning spear guns. Other awards include the Silver Medal of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Letters of Norway and the Rajiv Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award. Several new species of Seychelles flora and fauna were named after him. He was part of the campaign to prevent a military base form being built on Aldabra and in the set up of the Indian Ocean Alliance which led to the Indian Ocean to become a whale sanctuary. He persuaded the family who owned Cousin Island to sell it to Birdlife International to save the Seychelles Warbler. He organized scientific expeditions to Seychelles earning the title of Scientific Collaborator of the Free University of Belgium and was the Seychelles Representative for the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP) for many years. His personal campaign to Members of Parliament in the UK saved the Port Launay wetland from being developed into a golf course. He was the Chairperson of the National Regional Seas Committee, a regional process which led to the creation of the Nairobi Convention.

He has served as founding member, trustee or chairperson on more than 200 committees and organisations such as the Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Tourism Board, Seychelles Town and Country Planning Commission, Seychelles Conservation and National Parks Committee, Seychelles National Environment Commission, Seychelles National Research and Development Council, the local boards of Cousin and Aride islands and the Seychelles Environment Trust Fund. He served as the vice chair of the Victoria District Council.

His knowledge of the history of the Seychelles was second to none and he has not only contributed to the understanding of Seychelles history but has become part of it. He has an extensive library and archives on Seychelles. He was a very knowledgeable antiquarian and collected many pieces to do with Seychelles history. He was also a naturalist, palm reader, vegetarian cook, and healer, and people come from all over the world to meet him. He won several prizes at the first national Horticultural Show for growing peanuts and potatoes successfully.

His photographs were made into the first definitive set of postage stamps for Seychelles. He produced the first colour calendar of Seychelles and colour Christmas cards for Government House. He produced the official gift of the Government of Seychelles to the Queen of England –a wooden casket of Seychelles shells- on her visit to Seychelles. He has been involved in the designs  of coins, stamps and paper money of Seychelles.

His career as a successful business man included being a partner in Jivan Jetha and Company founded by his father , one of the top three firms in Seychelles at the time and involved in export of copra and cinnamon, sale of products and commodities ranging from foodstuffs to textiles, vehicles to fuel, services such as banking, insurance and ship chandelling,  industry and production such as coconut oil, ice cream, soft drinks and soap.

Most of all, as a Seychellois of Indian origin, he went beyond his career as a successful businessman and influenced many people both in Seychelles and overseas. His web of friendship is spread all over the world including thousands of people who remember him with great love and admiration. He truly deserves the title “Renaissance Man” given to him by his friends and fans.

Protecting biodiversity can cut poverty, but policymakers need to give the poor more control of resources, says Dilys Roe.

Last week, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) met in Nagoya, Japan, to negotiate a new deal on conserving biodiversity. At the heart of the discussions is a draft strategic plan to guide the convention’s implementation for the next 10 years.

Read the full article from: http://www.scidev.net/en/opinions/political-action-is-needed-to-harness-value-of-biodiversity.html

Sea urchins are likely to be able to adapt to increasingly acidic oceans resulting from climate change, according to new research.

When the animals, known as echinoderms, were exposed to water high in carbon dioxide early in their lives, there were no adverse effects.

Echinoderms are a diverse group that includes sea cucumbers and starfish.

Their natural resilience could represent a competitive advantage under some climate change scenarios.

The experiments, carried out by Nadia Suarez-Bosche, exposed larvae of the shallow-dwelling sea urchin Psammechinus miliaris to deep-sea water naturally rich in CO2.

Read the full article from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11511624

The latest issue of the WIOMSA Newsbrief is out and contains the following articles:

i) Three new climate change projects approved for funding

ii) MASMA Project Workshops

iii) Seychelles launches World’s First Carbon Neutral Nature Reserve – Nirmal Shah

iv)  South Western Indian Ocean Civil Society Forum urges African Fisheries Ministers to reform the fisheries – Edward Kimakwa

v) MARG Grantees issued July – September 2010

vi)  Upcoming WIOMSA Events 

Read the full Issue from: http://issuu.com/wiomsa/docs/wiomsa_newsbrief_vol._15_no._3

By John Oyuke

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has finalised setting up of a multi-million shillings financing facility to enable member-states access carbon markets.

The fund, expected to raise Sh40 billion from international donors and sovereign funds, is designed to support small community development projects with early-stage seed capital and Certified Emission Reductions (CER) payments.

Comesa has called for proposals inviting project developers, businesses, financial institutions, governments, municipalities, communities, and individuals in East African Community, Southern African Development Community, and Comesa member-states to submit projects.

Raise capital

Kurt van Duyn, chief executive officer of Aggelos Investment Holdings, a Mauritius-based consultancy, told reporters the firm had been hired by Comesa to set up the fund and raise capital.

Comesa Climate Change Advisor Dr Mclay Kanyangarara, told e-Comesa Newsletter, the fund would ensure that member states, get value for reduced carbon emissions.

He said the fund has been registered in Mauritius and board members are scheduled to meet soon. The fund will be hosted at the Kenya-based Preferential Trade Area (PTA) Bank, Comesa’s financial arm.

Comesa, with its 19-member states and combined population of over 430 million people, is a major market within the African continent, and during the last two years, has taken a leadership role on behalf of its members (and those of the greater African Union), in addressing Africa’s minimal access to the global carbon finance markets.

It has raised the awareness of the plight of its member States in addressing adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the scourge of climate change.

As a result of various rounds of stakeholder meetings, Comesa launched studies to commence the implementation of the fund.

Extend reach

Comesa is, however, not inward looking and would seek to extend its services beyond the bloc. It will also provide East African Community and South African Development Community, as well the neighbouring regions, with access to international carbon finance markets.

According to the e-Comesa bulletin, the Carbon Fund is self-managed and is structured as a collective investment scheme.

A fund manager, together with an Investment Management Committee would be responsible for the day-to-day operations, and would be responsible for all investment decisions and executions.

It would be accountable to a board of directors consisting of Comesa and private sector representatives under the chairmanship of the Secretary General of Comesa.

Source:  http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000020144&cid=14&

“The 2011 Kenton Miller Award — Innovation in Protected Areas Management” will be presented in March 2011 at the biannual George Wright Society meeting to be held in New Orleans.

As described in the WCPA website under “Miller Award,” candidates can have made significant innovations in knowledge, tools, policies, or field practices, in any part of the world.  

Should you wish to nominate a candidate, you must utilize  the nomination form provided  within the WCPA website.  

http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/wcpa/wcpa_what/wcpa_awards/wcpa_kentonaward/

The nomination period will close on November 30. Nominations received after that date may NOT be considered.

Please send nomination documents to:

Ms. Delwyn Dupuis

Communications and Membership Officer

Protected Areas Programme
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
28 rue Mauverney, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 999 0160; Fax +41 22 999 0025;
http://www.iucn.org/wcpa

Please note: This Award recognizes “innovation”; to recognize other important contributions to protected areas conservation, such as “life-time service,” etc.,  please consider the Commission’s “Fred Packard Award” that has been established to cover these other cases that warrant  our attention.