Program of Speakers

  • Dr Rudy Van der Elst – Oceanographic Research Institute
  • Dr Magnus Ngoile – GEMPA-East Africa
  • Chief Emeka Anyaoku – WWF International President
  • Dr Colin Attwood – Department of Environment Affairs & Tourism, South Africa
  • The Honorable Fernando Sumbana – Minister of Tourism, Mozambique
  • Ms Rahma Mshangama – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Cooperatives, Zanzibar
  • Professor Ratemo Michieka – Director General, National Environment Management Authority, Kenya (in absentia)
  • Mr Ali Kaka–The East African Wildlife Society (focal institution for EAME in Kenya)
  • Gugu Zama, Songimvelo Mussel Committee – Kaso bay, South Africa
  • Dr. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu – Director WWF Africa and Madagascar Programme

South Africa pledges

  • In EAME :
  • Establish in 2003 an MPA in the popular Aliwal Shoal to rebuild its reef fish population and to regulate the diving industry
  • Extend the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park northwards into a trans-frontier MPA between South Africa and Mozambique
  • Upgrade the standard of MPA management to cater for more diverse objectives
  • Explore novel models for including community-involvement in MPA decision-making and management
  • Develop Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) under the International Maritime Organisation to minimise the impacts of shipping disasters.
  • Outside EAME:
  • Establish in 2003 the Cape Peninsula MPA, which will include several ‘no-take’ zones on both sides of the peninsula, and a 900-km2 MPA along the Pondoland coastline, including five no-take areas, and (for the first time in SA) two fully protected estuaries
  • In the future, establish an MPA off Namaqualand, and extend Addo Elephant National Park to include Algoa Bay and vulnerable colonies of seabirds,

Mozambique Pledges

  • Identify MPAs in the coastal northernmost provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, from Primeiras and Segundas Islands to the boarder with Tanzania
  • Identify MPAs in the coastal southernmost province of Maputo, from Maputo Bay to the boarder with South Africa and in the Rovuma region, in the boarder with Tanzania
  • Expand the seaward limit of the Maputo Special Reserve to include 3 miles of the coastal waters,
  • Expand the Maputo Special Reserve south along the Futi corridor to become a Trans-frontier Park with South Africa
  • Upgrade the Inhaca and Portuguese Island Reserves to a Marine National Park
  • Submit the Marromeu Reserve (Zambezi mouth) as a Ramsar site.

Tanzania Pledges

  • Collaborate with local communities and other stakeholders to establish a representative network of marine protected areas in order to increase area of the sea under protection from currently less than 1% to 10% by year 2010 and to reach 20% by year 2025
  • Protect and conserve areas of critical marine ecosystems and ecosystem processes to ensure maintenance of biodiversity and sustainability of coastal and marine resources,
  • Ensure active community participation in all phase of planning to implementation of management activities of MPAs
  • Constructively engage local communities on benefit sharing afforded by presence of MPAs,
  • Promote public environmental education and awareness of MPAs
  • Facilitate research, resource inventory taking, assessments, mapping and monitoring their conditions
  • Manage and ensure sustainable conservation and utilization of small islands and beach resources
  • Use wider ecosystem approach and Integrated Coastal Management in designing and establishing MPAs to ensure connectivity and comprehensiveness of ecosystem integrity.
  • Submit sites for nomination by UNESCO to be World Heritage and biosphere reserves sites.
  • Collaborate with neighboring countries to establish and jointly manage trans-boundary MPAs.

Kenya Pledges

  • Promote regional and global network of MPAs (including trans-boundary MPAs where appropriate)as a basis of ensuring effective conservation of migratory species and trans-boundary ecosystems.
  • Maintainsignificant coastal wetlandssuch ascoral reefs, sea grass meadows and mangrove forests.
  • Improvepopulation levels of critical species i.e. Dugongs, Marine turtles, Dolphins, Whales
  • Ensure sustainable utilization of marine resources through capacity building, community based conservation initiatives and an incentive system.
  • Incorporate mitigation measuresin land use and conservation planning
  • Undertake restoration of degraded sites

Songimvelo Mussel Committee

Following the formal presentations, delegates made their way through the aquarium, past tanks of turtles, rays, octopus and infinite varieties of fish to the coral reef tank room. Here the women from the Songimvelo Mussel Committee in South Africa’s Kosi Bay protected area brought the audience from the world of high politics to the fundamentals of marine conservation. Participants were drawn into their world of land and sea, sustainable harvests of mussels and other types of fish and crustacean, and a co-management system that is being used as a model in other protected areas. They watched, enchanted by the reality of the potential human impact of decisions taken and commitments made in offices and conferences around the world.

Next Steps

As Chief Emeka Anyaoku observed, “We are taking note of successes we have seen in this spectacular Ecoregion, and we laud the foresight and initiative shown by the governments and the people of this region to get things done. At the same time, though, it is also time to work together to come up with new strategies for the future – how to get conservation results for both the people and the biodiversity, as well as exploring new and creative ways to encourage the global community to fund these efforts.” To this end, the following commitments have been made by WWF and others over the next five years:

  • Provide partnership mechanism and actively coordinate implementation of EAME Action Plan
  • Ensure that conservation activities in priority land/seascapes are contributing to regional biodiversity and effective natural resources management
  • Facilitate and catalyze progress toward sustainable artisanal and industrial fisheries in EAME countries.
  • Provide mechanism for the protection of species of special concern implemented in all EAME countries.
  • Demonstration of sustainable livelihood activities in coastal and marine areas.
  • Coordination of a donor meeting in January 2004.

Acknowledgement: The success of this event is thanks firstly to the Oceanographic Research Institute for provision of the venue and their support in preparation and execution. Beyond this, credit goes above all to the partners in conservation across the region – Governments, international partners, the conservation community – who continue to demonstrate the power of collaborative action. WWF looks forward to future opportunities to shine the global spotlight on Eastern African successes. A tribute to all involved.