Welcome, Nairobi Convention Member States, partners, and friends, to this issue of the Weekly News Round-up!
Do you have any events, research, or scientific publications on the Western Indian Ocean that you would like to be included in the round-up? Write to unep-nairobi-convention@un.org!
UN Ocean Conference 2022: ‘Fleet’ of solutions to be launched
Solutions to restore the health of the ocean are out there, and in 100 days they will be in the spotlight in Lisbon, Portugal, at the second UN Ocean Conference. The Conference will take place from 25 June to 1 July 2022, in Lisbon, Portugal and will provide a critical opportunity to mobilize partnerships and increase investment in science-driven approaches.
Western Indian Ocean Witnessed 66 Marine Heatwave Events Between 1982-2018: IITM
The western Indian Ocean had a total of 66 Marine Heat Wave (MHW) events while the Bay of Bengal had 94 events during 1982-2018, a recent investigation of marine heatwaves by the scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, found out.
Do animals have language at all? An ambitious project is attempting to interpret sperm whale clicks with artificial intelligence, then talk back to them. A technique that allows for translation between two human languages in written text, could be used on audio recordings without text.
Climate-resilient coral species offer hope for the world’s reefs
Two of the world’s most ubiquitous species of reef-building corals seem surprisingly able to survive and even cope well with climate change, according to a new study—at least so long as global warming is kept below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the target set by the Paris Agreement.
Recent research has focused on how to protect reefs from climate change impacts, but reefs are not isolated systems. Fish and coral larvae are actively exchanged across regions, and some reefs supply more while others receive more. This report looked at the source dynamics of reefs globally and found that maintaining these networks is essential for biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries.
The Diving Deep Guidance helps you break the pollution cycle, including plastics and other solid waste, and manage the impacts of coastal infrastructure projects such as seawalls, while exploring the potential of nature-based solutions including mangroves and reefs. Accompanying the guidance is a set of easy-to-follow recommendations on how to approach financial activity in the two ocean-linked sectors covered in the report, allowing financial decision-makers to take immediate action.
Deep-reef and deep-sea habitats comprise more than 95% of habitable space on the planet and convey many benefits to society such as regulating our planet’s climate and providing vital fisheries for growing economies. Currently, they are poorly explored and remain largely unprotected. WIOMSA and NEKTON are co-hosting a webinar on deep-sea research in the Western Indian Ocean. The purpose of this webinar to provide an initial overview the deep sea, highlight some recent research efforts in the WIO, and connect regional researchers working in this field.
President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John F. Kerry announced that the seventh Our Ocean Conference has been rescheduled to April 13-14, 2022. This decision comes after careful consultation with public health officials regarding the global surge in COVID-19 cases. The Conference will be an in-person event and will be a major moment for ocean-climate action.
Mangrove trees protect life on land from the harmful impacts of storms and waves which are getting stronger due to warming seas from climate change. They are also critical habitats for many marine species and can even create their own islands. However, they are under serious threat from coastline development, aquaculture, pollution and other human impacts. Communities are increasingly understanding how to restore degraded mangrove ecosystems to protect all of these unparalleled benefits.
