SAPPHIRE Project

The project aims to support the implementation of the Nairobi Convention’s SAPPHIRE project to achieve effective long-term ecosystem management in the Western Indian Ocean region. It is a collaboration between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE). The key activities include developing an interactive platform and country profiles to share geospatial data from the 9 participating countries, building capacities of national data centres, updating national marine environment diagnostic analyses (MEDAs), enhancing MEDA visualizations, and carrying out training. The project objectives are to ease the burden of environmental reporting, build capacities for information sharing, and provide a knowledge interface to support policy harmonization and institutional reforms across the countries sharing the Western Indian Ocean marine ecosystems. The activities span 2019-2020 and align with the goals of the Nairobi Convention and its Strategic Action Programme.

Partners

UNEP and Nairobi Convention

Region / Country

9 countries (Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, and Tanzania)

Objectives

• Support effective long-term ecosystem management in the Western Indian Ocean region in line with the Strategic Action Programme of the Nairobi Convention,
• Strengthen technical and institutional capacities of national institutions for knowledge-based governance and adaptive management of marine ecosystems,
• Build capacities for sharing scientific data and information to support decision making related to marine ecosystems,
• Provide a knowledge interface to disseminate latest scientific insights and updates on national marine diagnostic analyses as well as enhance visualization of national data to support policy harmonization and institutional reforms across the participating countries,
• Promote regional cooperation, experience exchange and peer learning between the countries sharing the Western Indian Ocean marine ecosystems,
• Support the participating countries in revising their national Marine Environment Diagnostic Analyses (MEDAs) and incorporating findings into policy,
• Contribute to effective implementation of the Nairobi Convention’s Strategic Action Programme and associated policy harmonization efforts in the region.

Timeline

From – To     2019 – 2021

Outcomes

• Live data platform and visualization dashboard for the 9 countries,
• Training for data managers from the 9 countries,
• Updated national marine environment diagnostic analyses,
• Identification of climate change vulnerabilities in marine ecosystems.

Publications/website/portal

SAPPHIRE Project

https://cedarekmp.net/nconvention/web/

Relevance to SDGs

• The outcomes would assist in achieving SDG 14 (Life Below Water) by strengthening capacities for marine ecosystem monitoring, data sharing, and adaptive management.
• The knowledge sharing and partnerships also support SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
• Identifying climate vulnerabilities contributes to SDG 13 (Climate Action).