Marine planning
Long-term planning is a key measure for sustainable management of the sea. Marine spatial planning can strengthen environments and communities, and contribute to poverty reduction and local economic growth.
We collaborate with partners in East Africa and Western Indian Ocean to do this.
Training in marine spatial planning
We offer our partners hands-on experience and expertise in policy, planning and implementation.
WIO Symphony – assess the impacts of your planning decision
WIO Symphony, the Symphony tool for the Wester Indian Ocean is a tool for ecosystem-based marine spatial planning. It helps you compare cumulative environmental impact from different planning options. The Nairobi Convention and SwAM is adapting it to the Western Indian Ocean.
Training modules on marine spatial planning
Content can be adapted to your needs.
- Module 1 – Introduction to marine spatial planning
- Module 2 – The marine spatial planning process
- Module 3 – Data and information
- Module 4 – Assessment of the effects of the plan
- Module 5 – Transboundary marine spatial planning
Poverty, gender and marine spatial planning
We have drafted a method for integrating a poverty and gender equality perspective in marine spatial planning processes:
- Working paper: Poverty and gender considerations in Marine Spatial Planning: Conceptual and analytical framework
- Read an interview with Jane Turpie, researcher at the University of Cape Town and involved in the study above.
Marine spatial planning has become more important in recent decades, and now especially in developing countries as a way to achieve sustainable development of the blue economy. The draft helps answering how actors can work to distribute power and influence.
Local Blue Growth
Study on what infrastructure and institutional factors need to be in place for local, blue growth in the Western Indian Ocean region.
- Case-studies will be carried out in two parts of the region.
- Swedish experiences will be collected into applicable learning.
- A policy-brief to aid further measures for a blue economy based on a synthesis of the study results.
Fish and Fisheries data
Fish and fisheries data will be part of our work in WIO Symphony.
Climate Change Adaption
Overview of other organizations’ projects and initiatives
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) via Blue Action Fund
- Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI)
- The Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Initiative (GCCA+)
- Cities and Climate Change in Coastal Western Indian Ocean (CICLICO) by WIOMSA
- Future Resilience for African Cities and Lands (FRACTAL) by ICLEI Africa
- Towards climate change adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa by FAO
- Curbing coastal erosion on Mauritius by The Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change
- Monitoring cyclones for better coastal protection in Réunion by IRD
- Coastal Resilience to Climate Change in Mozambique by PROBLUE
- Coral Gardening in Seychelles by Nature Seychelles
- The PAREO Project, a coral environmental education project for children in Réunion, Mauritius and Seychelles by IRD
Climate Change Adaptation through conservation and rehabilitation of mangrove forests
- Save Our Mangroves Now in Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique and Madagascar
- Mangrove Capital Africa in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania
- Mikoko Project, resilience and conservation of mangrove forests in Kenya
- Mangroves for the Future in Seychelles
- The Blue Forest-program by Blue Ventures in Madagascar
Sources of Climate Change Adaptation information in the Western Indian Ocean
- The Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA), University of Nairobi
- Indianoceania Climate Change Portal
- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
- Guidelines on Mangrove Restoration for the Western Indian Ocean Region, by UNEP
- Guidelines on Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration for the Western Indian Ocean Region, by UNEP and the Nairobi Convention
Training courses related to Climate Change Adaptation
This work is part of our development cooperation programme SwAM Ocean.
