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IOI-SA has been the Cape Town support base for the Building International Partnership to Enhance Science-Based Ecosystem Approaches in Support of Regional Ocean Governance Meeting.

The meeting was organised by The GEF, UNDP, UNESCO IOC, UN Environment and FAO. The goal of the meeting was to enhance cross-sectoral, science based ecosystem approaches to regional ocean governance in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It took place in Cape Town on the 27th and 28th November, 2017 and was immediately followed by the 19th Large Marine Ecosystem Meeting from the 29th November until the 1st December.

The meeting report is available here: Report 2017. The agenda and all presentations are available on the IW:LEARN website.

Recent studies on the amount and nature of plastic that is ending up in the ocean, as well as the ecosystem and health impacts associated with this modern source of pollution have caused an increase in public awareness of the issue and concern about how to tackle it. Eighty percent of plastic that ends up in the ocean is getting there through land-based sources. In a world that produces 300 million tons of plastic per year and about eight million tons of that ending up the ocean, from where it is almost impossible to retrieve, the issue of plastic pollution has become a global concern (Ocean Atlas 2017).  The solution to the majority of plastic pollution in the ocean starts on land, and while we are only just coming to terms with the scale of the problem, we are also looking for innovative, collaborative solutions.

The United States Consulate General, in partnership with the South African Maritime Safety Authority, the International Ocean Institute – African Region, the V&A Waterfront, and Operation Phakisa, held a public discussion on international, regional and local perspectives on ocean sustainability, with a focus on mitigating plastics pollution.

This forum on plastic marine debris is intended as one of many opportunities for decision makers and experts to get together to discuss solutions and mitigation measures to prevent plastic reaching our oceans, as stakeholders begin to realise the urgency of this issue. It is anticipated that this will be the first of many structured discussions that allow for effective engagement amongst the public, academics and government stakeholders on a variety of marine and maritime subjects. The report is available here: Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans

IOI-SA is working with the Department of Environmental Affairs, various NGOs and organisations to Ban the Microbead in South Africa. If you would like to help us by signing the petition to the Department of Environmental Affairs, please click here. A show of public support will support the case for the banning of this unnecessary source of pollution.

To find out more please click here. 

IOI-SA is the National Coordinator of the WWF-SA and TETA Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Training Project. The project is designed so that a pool of members from small scale fishing communities are trained as trainers and empowered to deliver workshops to small scale fishing communities around South Africa. The workshops explain the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and responsible practices through a series of discussions, videos, interactive games and presentations.

So far, training events have been conducted in Kleinmond, Gugulethu, Doringbaai, Papendorp and Hondeklipbaai and have reached in excess of 89 people.

The goal of the project is to reach at least 850 people in small scale fishing communities throughout four coastal provinces over the next two years. To find out more, please visit the project website.

Applications are now open for the 2017 IOI-SA Course in Ocean Governance. The IOI-SA will be running the annual course in Ocean Governance for Africa in collaboration with the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI), the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and other partners, from the 4^th to the 29^th of September 2017. The course will be based in Cape Town (hosted at SANBI, Kirstenbosch).  The deadline for applications is 13 April 2017.

Continue reading 2017 Course in Ocean Governance

To follow-up from the March IOI-SA and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) workshop, this workshop was held after the small-scale fisheries applications were complete and being processed. IOI-SA and DAFF held a full day workshop that brought partners up-to-date on the progress that has been made in the sector and invited potential partners to identify what role they could play in partnering with DAFF in supporting the small-scale fishing sector. The second workshop aimed to create tangible partnerships between organisations and DAFF for the support of the fishing cooperatives.

Continue reading IOI-SA Hosts Second Small-scale Fisheries Partner Workshop

The IOI-SA is getting ready to host participants from all over Africa for the 2016 Course in Ocean Governance. The course will run for four weeks from the 12th September to the 7th October, in Kirstenbosch, Cape Town. The IOI-SA is looking forward to welcome the 2016 participants and the local and regional experts that will be lecturing on the course. The IOI-SA Course in Ocean Governance is run in partnership with SAIMI and SANBI. The draft schedule for the 2016 can be seen here: 2016 Schedule

In 2012 and 2014, the Department of Mineral Resources granted three prospecting rights for marine phosphate covering approximately 10% of South Africa’s exclusive economic zone. In response to concerns that unsustainable bulk marine sediment mining will soon be authorised in South Africa, a group of organisations formed the Safeguard our Seabed Coalition. Since 2015 the Safeguard our Seabed Coalition, of which the International Ocean Institute – Southern Africa is a member, has been pursuing a moratorium on bulk marine sediment mining in South Africa.

Continue reading IOI-SA Joins the Safeguard our Seabed Coalition

Tiny particles of plastic have been added to possibly thousands of personal care products sold around the world. These microbeads, hardly visible to the naked eye, flow straight from the bathroom drain into the sewer system. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to filter out microbeads and that is the main reason why, ultimately, they contribute to the Plastic Soup swirling around the world’s oceans. Sea creatures absorb or eat microbeads. These microbeads are passed along the marine food chain. Since humans are ultimately at the top of this food chain, it is likely that we are also absorbing microbeads from the food we eat. Microbeads are not biodegradable and once they enter the marine environment, they are impossible to remove.

Positive action on behalf of manufacturers has meant that more and more of these microbeads are being removed from personal care products and replaced by naturally biodegradable alternatives. The International Ocean Institute – Southern Africa is committed to creating awareness around this issue  and working towards a ban of microbeads in personal care products in South Africa.

Support a Ban on Microbeads in South Africa by signing the petition here.

Continue reading IOI-SA becomes a Beat the Microbead Partner