Convention for the Protection of Western Indian Ocean’s Environment

Environment Ministers and representatives of the 10 African countries sharing the Western Indian Ocean have signed a new Protocol for the Protection of the Coastal and Marine Environment of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-based Sources and Activities (LBSA), and a 25- year Strategic Action Programme (SAP) aimed at ensuring efficient management of the marine and coastal environment in the larger Eastern and Southern African region.
The Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Western Indian Ocean has also been amended to take into account new provisions on emerging issues such as climate change and the need for an ecosystem-based management approach.

UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner says: “The adoption of the LBSA Protocol is a long process coming to fruition and sets a bright future for the Nairobi Convention. The Nairobi Convention Secretariat is thankful to contracting Parties for their strong engagement and dedication in the process of developing a new legal instrument on land-based activities that affect the marine and coastal environment. This provides an important tool that will shape and guide our actions as we ensure that the unique Western Indian Ocean’s ecosystems can deliver sustainable development and well-being to the 60 million people who live and depend on its resources.”

With the signing of the final act of the LBSA Protocol and the rejuvenated Convention, the Western Indian Ocean region becomes one of the three regional seas in the world to have a regional agreement focused on the control of land-based activities degrading and or polluting the marine waters of the region. The other regions with a similar agreement include the Wider Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea.

The President of the Conference of the Plenipotentiaries, Mr. Sateeaved Seebaluk of Mauritius said: “There is a great sense of achievement to see the positive conclusion of this process which had its hard times but a lot of progress has been made. Today, the Convention of Nairobi is one the successful convention in this part of the world. We have successful WIO-Lab projects; the updating of the Convention and the development of the LBSA Protocol have been successfully accomplished. These key instruments should not be archived but instead should become working documents to ensure good practices in contracting parties.”

The Indian Ocean, which is globally recognised for its unique biological richness and natural beauty and high ecological and socio-economic value, is still few of the remaining undisturbed areas of the world oceans with diverse ecosystems that provide invaluable goods and services to the growing population of the region. The economic value of the goods and services provided by these Western Indian Ocean marine ecosystems is estimated to be over 25 billion US Dollar, with fisheries and tourism as the two main direct contributors to the economies of the countries in the region.

However, Countries sharing the Western Indian Ocean are now facing serious challenges related to the sustainable management of the coastal and marine environment.
The Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Coastal and Marine Environment of the Western Indian Ocean (SAP), endorsed by Contracting Parties today will address the challenges faced by governments in the region in dealing with increasing pollution of coastal waters, the destruction and degradation of critical habitats, changes in freshwater flow as well as challenges resulting from global climate change.
It is expected that the agreement will bind the governments towards a common objective of preventing, reducing, mitigating and controlling pollution from land-based sources and activities to protect and sustain the marine and coastal environment in the Western Indian Ocean.