The challenges of integrating marine sciences with coastal management in the western Indian Ocean region.

Abstract

About 30% of the 100 million inhabitants of the western Indian Ocean (WIO) region reside in the coastal strip and are heavily dependent on goods and services provided by oceans and coasts. Coastal areas provide food and resources which support the economies of coastal states of the western Indian Ocean such as fisheries, shipping, petroleum exploitation, seabed mining, energy and tourism. Coastal and marine areas house a bounty of biodiversity and the oceans are also responsible for balancing the extremes of climate conditions. However, our efforts to effectively manage the use of coastal resources in a sustainable manner are constrained by inadequate knowledge in the ecosystems and inadequate capacities to generate the knowledge. This is compounded by the lack of prioritisation of issues and integration of coastal and marine management and marine science in most maritime states. This paper examines the challenges in integrating ecosystem-level coastal and marine science with integrated coastal and marine management, as well as the opportunities for bridging the gap between science and coastal management in the western Indian Ocean. The integration of ecosystem management and ecosystem science will ensure the sustainability of the marine and coastal resources.