EV2 Inception Workshop Report_CORDIO-IKI-IUCN_11.05.2020_TZA

2 Project Overview
LEAP Project overview: Thomas Sberna (IUCN)
The LEAP project focuses on increasing the resilience of coastal and marine ecosystems in the region.
With strong visual images, Thomas illustrated the impacts of climate change. He stated that this
decade was going to be crucial, so we need to take action now. We are the only and last generation
that can do something, so we need to seize this opportunity to bring change.
Oceans have lost up to 30% coral reefs in the world. Overfishing but with huge waste occurs and only
one third of the catch from the ocean make it to our plates. Marine waste is a major issue - dumping
of up to 8 million tons of plastic in the ocean takes place yearly. Acidification of oceans is increasing.
Ocean acidification dissolves shells, skeletons and coral which are at the base of the food chain. If they
disappear the food chain collapses, including human/people that are relying on those resources.
The ocean economy is approximately 2.5% of the global economy. To ensure a blue future, there is
need to secure the integrity of critical ecosystems; increase ocean leadership to benefit local people;
establish partnerships in order to raise science for management, sustainable finances, and share
lessons learned at national and international level.
He explained that LEAP is about securing seascapes so that people can benefit from them. The 4-year
project which started in 2019 covering Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Seychelles, aims to:
improve governance to ensure equitability; ensure effective management and conservation impacts;
enhance knowledge and increase advocacy. LMMAs are part of the solution for the future in meeting
the CBD targets and to make the blue economy thrive once the blue natural capital is conserved.
LMMAs working for conservation: Melita Samoilys (CORDIO)
Melita presented a snapshot on how LMMAs have supported marine
conservation in the WIO, emphasizing the importance of science,
particularly around ecological assessment and ongoing monitoring,
and being mindlful of shifting baselines. She also clarified the different
terminologies around LMMAs.
In Tanzania these were similar to Collaborative Fisheries Management
Areas (CFMAs) that have established gear restricted zones, temporary
closures and/or no take zones. Also, LMMAs can be areas managed
under community forests associations.
She emphasised that LMMAs are important in improving the marine resource base for fisheries
dependent livelihoods; play an important role in climate change mitigation through maintaining
healthy and resilient ecosystems; contribute to reporting to the CBD and are an important policy
instrument. The effectiveness of LMMAs is hampered by poor compliance, inadequate enforcement
of regulations, inadequate ongoing capacity building, lack of long-term financial sustainability and
weak governance.
The LEAP project sought to strengthen existing efforts in LMMAs through identifying, piloting, and
promoting best practices in sustainable financing; providing a platform for dialogue & networking of
peers and best practice solutions; reviewing national policy and regulatory frameworks, and providing
a forum for participatory policy dialogues.
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