The IOC is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1984 through a general cooperation agreement known as the Victoria Agreement.  The members of IOC are the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and the island of La Réunion (an overseas department of France). 3 The islands share commonalities in terms of natural resources rich in biodiversity, as well as environmental features which have significant influence on their national development.

Economy is highly dependent on their natural coastal and marine resources, and tourism based on natural resources’ endowment. Good environmental quality is essential for the high value-added ecotourism pursued by the countries. The environment and management of natural resources has been one of the main areas  of  cooperation amongst the member States with over EUR 205 million invested in the sector, representing almost 20 projects implemented by the IOC since 1999. Read More

Regional Strategy Framework

Development of a Regional Strategy and Action Plan for Conserving Marine Ecosystems & Fisheries for the Western  Indian Ocean Island Marine Ecoregion comprises of the following areas of  intervention: 
  1. Organise data acquisition on marine ecosystems, marine   resources and their uses, sharing and valuing them   sustainably through a regional observatory; 
  2. Share knowledge with all stakeholder communities, provide   and promote decision making support tools; 
  3. Train all stakeholders, capitalise and exchange good   practices on marine sustainable development; 
  4. Support to the implementation of the strategy on fisheries   management to promote coordinated, responsible and   sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; 
  5. Strengthen the sustainable management of marine protected   areas and their networking; 
  6. Implement actions to conserve migratory species and / or    with broad scope in accordance with their relevant   conventions; 
  7. Support the implementation of the Regional Strategy for   adaptation to climate change to contribute to a better   resilience and reduced vulnerability of marine ecosystems;   and 
  8. Develop a responsible and concerted approach to the   exploitation of non-renewable resources (gas, oil, renewable   energy, minerals, biomolecules, etc.).

Biodiversity & Agriculture Portal

Capacity Built

Capacity has been built at the institutional and at the community levels and tools have been developed to support the management of the coastal habitats and the conservation of marine and coastal resources, including:
  • Participation in regional marine environment tools.
  • Development of a Regional Strategy and Action Plan for Conserving Marine Ecosystems & Fisheries for the Western Indian Ocean Island Marine Ecoregion.
  • Establishment of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol.
  • Adoption of Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of Coastal and Marine Environment of the Western Indian Ocean (1985).
  • Creation of Indian Ocean Cetacean Consortium
  • International collaboration under the Cotonou Agreement(2000)

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

The Regional Resource Hub (RRH) publishes content on a regular basis. Subscribe and stay up-to-date on the latest news and trends on Biodiversity and Conservation. 

SUBSCRIBE

Powered by Amazing-Templates.com 2014 - All Rights Reserved.