Amani Ngusaru

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Building a Conservation Vision for the Eastern
African Marine Ecoregion
Amani Ngusaru WWF-East Africa Region March 25
2003,
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4,600 Km 300,000 Sq. miles
Somalia 300 km
Kenya 500 km
Tanzania 900 km
Moçambique 2,800 km
South Africa 100 km
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EAME coastal and Marine Areas-coral
reefs-mangroves-wetlands-sand dunes-seagrass
beds-fisheries-marine mammals

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What is there?

• High Species Richness (11,000)
• 35 marine mammals sp. Including Dugong
• Critical Habitat for whales and 5 species of
  marine turtle
• gt 1,200 endemic species
• Several hundred coral, mollusk and sponge
  species
• 300 species of crabs
• gt 1,500 species of fish including coelacanth,
  sailfish,

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What is WWF doing?

• Facilitating Ecoregion Based Large-scale
  Conservation approach
• Management of 5 MPAs
• Capacity building
• Sustainable use
• Species protection
• Research for Management

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Why do we care?

• Ecological importance Support great diversity of
  natural systems and the most productive habitats.
  
• Socio-economic importance Over 80 of poor
  coastal communities depend on marine resources
  for their livelihood.
• Coastal areas are focal points for economic
  growth and human development (maritime commerce,
  tourism industry, scenic and cultural amenities,
  waste discharge and dispersal, )

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Conservation Issue
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Overexploitation of Resources

• Fish, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Sea cucumbers,
  mangroves

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Destructive Fishing Habits
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• Depletion/
• Alteration
• of coastal
• and
• mangrove
• forests

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• Habitat Degradation seagrass beds, sand dunes
  etc.

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• Continued decline of species of special
  concern Dugongs, Turtles, and Dolphins due to
  targeted exploitation and by-catch

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• Land Based Sources of Pollution

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• Oil Pollution

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• Global
• climate
• change
• (coral
• Bleaching)

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Principles of EAME Conservation

• Common vision.
• Conservation programs at scales compatible with
  ecological processes.
• Establishing networks of protected areas within
  managed landscapes.
• Building political, social and economic
  strategies to ensure sustainable use of natural
  resources.

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Objectives of EAME Programme

• Initiate and Implement Ecoregional conservation
  in E.Africa
• Establishing networks of protected areas.
• Stop and reverse decline of threatened species
• Protect key sites in coastal and marine habitats
• Promote policies and practice that support
  sustainable use of resources
• Strengthen local capacity to effectively
  participate in conservation of marine resources

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EAME Planning Process
EAME has completed this process and has a
detailed Action Plan, developed with national
governments and non-governmental agencies. The
next stage is implementation of EAME conservation
plan.
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Establishment of Biodiversity Priority Sites
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Coral Communities
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Mangrove Communities
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Seagrasses Communities
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Wetlands and Sandy Shores
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Dugongs, Turtles, Sharks
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Fish and Squid
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EAME Priority Areas (21 Sites)
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Area of priority sites within the four
Sub-regions of the EAME
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Conservation Targets
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EAME VISION
A healthy marine and coastal environment that
provides sustainable benefits for present and
future generations of both local and
international communities who also understand and
actively care for and maintain its biodiversity
and ecological integrity.
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EAME Strategy

• Capacity Building
• Community Participation
• Environmental Education
• Information Exchange
• Partnership
• Sustainable Utilization

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• Achievements

• Ecoregion Planning Process Completed
• MPAs Facilitated establishment of Quirimbas NP
  and extension of Bazaruto NP in Mozambique
• Capacity building (Girls scholarship, M.Sc/PhD
  grants, MPA management Training)
• Partnerships established with key Government and
  NGOs
• Signing of an MoU with UNEP
• Linking EAME with Commonwealth Seas Initiative

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Increase in area of MPAs in EAME (1800-2003)
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Coverage of different EAME Sub-regions by MPAs
and Forest Reserves containing mangrove forest
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Percentage of MPAs and Forest Reserves in
Priority Areas
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• Challenges

• EAME is a huge area to Coordinate (300,000 Square
  Miles, 4,600 Km Coastline covering 5 Countries)
• Lack of stable financing for MPAs.
• Mobilizing resources in funding the
  implementation.
• High expectation from partners
• Identifying priorities and implementing them
• Linking up with Somalia

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Way Forward
Sustainable Use
Priority Species
MPAs
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Thank you