Indian Ocean

This publication presents proposals from a management workshop on conservation and management measures applicable to high seas areas in the Southern Indian Ocean regarding: (i) a biodiversity initiative; (ii) the principles, objectives and process included in the draft road map developed in support of the initiative; (iii) the concept, advantages and potential members of the alliance proposed to further develop the Initiative; and (iv) the collaborative arrangement needed to formalize the all

This publication presents a legal and institutional gap analysis of the project area, covering five seamount regions, two of which are inside proposed Benthic Protected Areas (BPAs), Atlantis Bank and Coral Seamount, and three outside BPAs. It proposes improvements to the legal and institutional framework.

The individual and cumulative threats to and effects of the full range of human activities on marine ecosystems and biodiversity in general, and seamounts in particular, in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are still largely unknown. These threats and their effects must be taken into account in order to be able to develop a robust, holistic ecosystem-based management scheme.

Seamounts are topographic rises of the seabed with a limited extent across the summit. There is evidence that seamounts form hotspots of biological activity in the oceans. Why seamounts host abundant populations of fish and other pelagic and aquatic predators is still uncertain.

The workbook is designed to allow for a dynamic process of marine protected area (MPA) management based on the lessons learnt through piloting the first draft of the workbook in eight MPAs in Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles. It takes into account the management issues faced in the WIO, is cost effective and encourages self-assessment by the managers. The Workbook has a complementary website (www.wiomsa.org\mpaworkbook.htm) and CD ROM.