Western Indian Ocean Leaders Convene for MPA Finance Workshop

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Nairobi, Kenya – On the heels of Africa Climate Week, the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and the Blue Nature Alliance hosted the Western Indian Ocean Marine Protected Area Finance Workshop in Watamu Marine Park and Reserve, Kenya’s first marine protected area (MPA). The convening brought together over 30 marine managers and finance experts from 11 countries.

With a focus on peering learning and networking, the week featured interactive sessions to share novel MPA finance models and elevate bright spots from the region. The final day featured a prioritization exercise that enabled participants to put their knowledge into practice by creating MPA Finance Roadmaps for each of their countries. Participants left empowered with a new understanding of the variety of financial mechanisms available to run their MPAs, stronger networks of mentors and resources, and a firm commitment to collaborate across the region.

“Facilitating sharing and learning between and amongst marine managers is a core activity for WIOMSA. We need to start thinking about business to be able to finance all the staff and professional development necessary to effectively meet global ocean conservation targets,” said Dr. Arthur Tuda, Executive Director of WIOMSA. “ Our partnership with the Blue Nature Alliance increases the WIO region’s capacity to generate a blue economy vital to realizing a sustainable future.”

For Lihla Noori of the Blue Nature Alliance, the event was a valuable opportunity to foster and expand MPA finance capacity in the region. “To effectively protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030, we must ensure that marine management capacity development programs are durable and inclusive,” said Noori. “In the coming weeks, we look forward to amplifying the shared learnings that emerged from the workshop so marine managers around the world can learn from and apply those best practices in their countries and MPAs”

Moving forward, participants called for the development of a broader regional strategy for increasing capacity for MPA finance in the Western Indian Ocean, and WIOMSA and the WIO Protected Area Network are committed to designing an MPA Finance Community of Practice for the region. The Alliance is partnering with Reef Resilience Network to capture and share educational materials via a MPA finance video series. “It’s critical to help build a support system for managers of large-scale marine areas to ensure their conservation work is effective long term,” said Chris Stone, Conservation Finance Lead for the Blue Nature Alliance. “We are working to expand the financial acumen of marine managers to help them sustain the conservation of these critical ocean ecosystems for future generations.”

Explore the event brief.

About West Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA): Established as a regional, non-profit, membership organization in 1993 and registered in Zanzibar, Tanzania in 1994 as a non-governmental organization, WIOMSA is dedicated to promoting the educational, scientific and technological development of all aspects of marine sciences throughout the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region (consisting of 10 countries: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion (France)), with a view toward sustaining the use and conservation of its marine resources. Working effectively to connect the local and and global levels, WIOMSA has extensive knowledge and understanding of regional issues, priorities and processes with a particular interest in linking the knowledge that emerges from research to the management and governance issues that affect marine and coastal ecosystems in the region.

About Blue Nature Alliance: The Blue Nature Alliance is a collaboration led by Conservation International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation to catalyze the conservation of 18 million square kilometers of the ocean (7 million square miles). By creating a global network of partners dedicated to building on lessons learned from well-functioning marine protected areas and innovating new approaches to conserving large ocean areas, the Alliance aims to expand and enhance ocean conservation with a focus on working alongside Indigenous peoples and local communities, scientists and academics, and other partners.

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