Newsbrief - WIOMSA · MARG Grantee Articles: ... greater responsibility for societal impact to be integrated in research and education. There is no doubt that science ... solution

September 2016 WIOMSA Newsbrief Volume 21 No 3

Newsbrief

Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association bull Web wwwwiomsaorg bull E-mail secretarywiomsaorg bull Tel +255 24 2233472

Table of Contents1 Managing Non-Academic Impact of Research Capacity Building for

Impact Training held in Mombasa2 WIOFish Revamped3 TrainingonScientificCruisePlanningOceanographicSampling

Fisheries and Data Management By Nina Wambiji4 MARG Grantee Articles

bull AssessingthevulnerabilitytofutureenvironmentalconditionsandpopulationstructureoftheseagrassZostera capensis By Nikki Phair

bull ldquoFishGenesampGenomesContributionstoEcologyEvolutionampManagementrdquotheAnnualSymposiumoftheFisheriesSocietiesoftheBritishIslesBangorWalesUKBy Sophie von der Heyden

5 ArticlesfromRecentlyCompletedPhDsbull ResilienceofMangrovesinthefaceofClimatechangeAFocusonthe

ImpactsofLargeSedimentationEventsByDr Judith Auma Okellobull ThePotentialofCommunityBasedCoralAquaculturein

Madagascar By Dr Gildas TODINANAHARY6 Workshops in the WIO

bull YoungcareermarinescientistsfromWIOjoinforces By Karolien Van Puyvelde

bull StrategicAdaptiveManagementProgram(SAM)launchedinSeychelles By Dr Jennifer OrsquoLeary Flavien Joubert Allen Cedras Isabelle Ravinia amp Arthur Tuda

bull ProgresswiththeproposedmarineandcoastalTransboundaryConservationArea(TBCA)betweenKenyaandTanzania-IndianOceanCommission(IOC)WorkshoptoDiscussSupportforPreparatoryActivities

7 NewWIOMSAPublications

Managing Non-Academic Impact of Research Capacity Building for Impact Training held in Mombasa

WIOMSA in collaboration with the Chalmers University of Technology of Sweden held the 3rd and final workshop in a series of trainings on Capacity Building for Impact at the Pride Inn Paradise in Mombasa Kenya from the 18-20 August 2016 The workshops aim at strengthening the capacity for development of strategies and activities for research impact in the Western Indian Ocean Previous workshops targeted mariculture specialists to prepare them ahead of the commissioned call for proposals and heads of academic institutions and organisations involved in research The third workshop exclusively targeted WIOMSArsquos Marine Science for Management (MASMA) Programme grantees A team of 1-3 participants including Principal Investigators represented each MASMA research project at the training The interactive and thought-provoking approach used in the workshop gave project teams the opportunity to do practical assessments of the impact of their respective research projects and to apply tested frameworks tools and methodologies for managing the impact of research The workshop facilitated each MASMA research team to identify the relevant outputs of their project Structured data and evidence on the impact of each project is especially useful in communicating the relevance of individual projects

Workshop participants in a group photo

September 2016 WIOMSA Newsbrief Page 2

Non-academic impacts What are theyNon Academic Impacts refer to the effect of academic researchandeducationoutsideof science (ie changeordevelopment or improvement)while Scientific Impact isthe effectwithin the scientific community It is useful todefineclearlywhatnon-academicimpactactuallymeansldquoItisasignificantchangeofreachandbenefitinsocietyoutsideoftheacademiccommunityenabledbyscientificallygenerated knowledge and academic activitiesrsquo Changeimplies progression from one state to another and there is a needtomeasureldquosignificantchangerdquoSocietal Impact from Science has been viewed fromdynamic perspectives over time The traditional approach addressed dissemination and technology transfer as beingseparateLater the focuswason the integrationofKnowledgetransferinresearchprocesseswhilethecurrentfocus on non-Academic Impact places emphasis on a greater responsibility for societal impact to be integrated in research and education There is no doubt that science conducted according to scientificprocess has had a profound impact on society However this shift offocus has resulted in an increasing need for scientists to communicate science to society and to funding agencies It is important to incorporate impact now toaddressquestionsthatarebeingraisedabouttheimpactofinvestmentsofpublicfundingtouseacceptablemethodstosystematicallymanageandplanforimpactandtobeabletodemonstrate impact Non-Academic Impact is relevant and science should not only be potentially relevant to industry but itshouldalsoassessormeasurehowthisimpactisreachedThis requires better planning toidentify the right target audience since the target audience for science outputs is very diversemaking it difficult to focus thecommunicationonaspecificgroupTo move from science to impact we need scientificknowledge As scientists our contribution to changeis our output ie generating scientific knowledge tospawn the innovationprocessandenabling impactbydefiningdesirableimpactWhereas the scientific process mainly includes inputsactivities and outputs the impact process consists ofoutputs(deliverables)outcomes(ieshorttermchanges)andImpacts(longtermeffects)Scientistsoftenlacktheskillsandtoolsincentivestimeandresourcestofollowuponimpactaftertheendoftheirresearchproject

The MASMA Projects which Participated in the Capacity development for Impact Workshop1 Emerging Knowledge for Local Adaptation (EKLA) to Climate Change2 Developing a model for strategic adaptive management (SAM) of marine protected areas in the Western Indian Ocean region 3 Dugongs (Dugong dugon) of the Western Indian Ocean Region ndash Identity Distribution Status Threats and Management4 Advancing adaptive co-management of small scale fisheries in East Africa5 Drink bottles and aluminium grids could minimize deaths of marine turtles dugongs and dolphins in fishing gears (ByCAM)6 Small-scale fisheries in three estuaries of the Western Indian Ocean ndash identifying essential socio-ecological links for improved governance

(Estuarize-WIO)7 Responses of Biological Productivity and Fisheries to Changes in Atmospheric and Oceanographic Conditions in the Upwelling Region

Associated With the East African Coastal Current (PEACC - Productivity in the EACC under Climate Change)8 Linking marine science traditional knowledge and cultural perceptions of the sea in the Mozambique Channel to build tomorrowrsquos marine

management using spatial simulation tools and educational gamersquo (MOZALINK)

The WorkshopPertinentissuesdiscussedbyparticipantsattheworkshopincludedwhether scientists require additional specializedstudiestodetermineiftheirprojecthasachievedthedesiredimpactthelackofclarityonwhatmanyfundingagenciesmean by ldquoimpactrdquo the fact that the innovation processtakesbetween5-15yearsforasignificantchangetobefeltand that for impact to be felt many different actors need to beinvolvedincludingthetargetedsocietyScientistsmayviewldquoimpactrdquoasaburdenhowevertheinnovationprocessshouldnotbeaunidirectionalbutafeedbackprocesswhichrequires its inclusion in the theoretical planning processIn many instances science is already implying impact but lacks the tools to showor communicate thisPart of thesolutionliesinscientistsclearlydistinguishingbetweentheprojectactivitiesoutputsandoutcomesIn the workshop the participantswereintroducedtovarioustoolsandframeworks for integrating impactand spent much time working ingroups on exercises to apply the tools in their respective MASMA researchprojectOccasionalplenarysessionswereusedascheckpointsfor feedback to assess each teamrsquosprogressBytheendoftheworkshoptheeightprojectteams(Seetextbox1)haddevelopedan impact story for their respectiveresearchprojectThe impactstoryplaysan important roleto emphasize the value of scientific knowledge (which isdifferent fromgeneralknowledgeoropinion)Participantssaw the potential for doing several impact stories perprojectTheimpactstoriesdevelopedaredraftproductsthatWIOMSAwillbeworkingon improvingwith thehelpofcommunication specialists to deliver desired core messages

Does Academic Excellence result in

Non Academic Impact

As a researcher As a researcher managing many projects is it

feasible to follow up all the impacts

The drive for impact The drive for impact

may reduce the diversity of funding for research it is important that the funding council gets involved in science

planning

Frameworks

I Science to Impact

IITheImpactProcess

IIIKnowledgeAssets

IVInnovationProcess

V Theutilizationhypothesis

Tools

I The Impact Circle

II Intellectual Assets Inventory(IAI)

IIITheUtilizationCanvas

IV Impact Case

Exercises

I UsingtheImpactcircletodescribetheimpactchainintheproject

II Describing the intellectual assets withintheprojectinanIAI

IIICreatingautilizationhypothesisbased on the central Impacts in the projectrsquosInnovationCircle

IV Building an Impact Case using the information collected in exercises I-III

V Revisingprojectnarrativebasedon the Impact Case and the Impact Story guidelines

The Frameworks and Tools for impact generation introduced and the related exercises carried out by participants

WIOFish is a database repository of electronic information on fisheries of the western Indian Ocean (WIO) Participating countries include Kenya Tanzania Mozambique Seychelles South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal only) Mauritius Comoros and Madagascar The regional management of WIOFish has since inception been the responsibility of the Oceanographic Research Institute based in Durban South Africa while each country has a nominated national node responsible for in-country management After ten years of the same database design that became completely outdated and cumbersome for users to access information WIOFish has a new look This revamped design is much more user-friendly quicker to use and it addresses repeated requests for more time series data

LookingbackbrieflyatthehistoryofWIOFishin1999a group of people from various countries in the WIO met inMombasaKenyatoestablishaplanforcollectingandcollating information about the diverse and numerous small-scalefisheriesoftheregionAtthetimeverylittlewas documented about these fisheries It was decidedthat this information should be housed in a central repositorythatwasaccessibletoresearchersmanagersandfundersInitiallyalltheinformationwasstoredinaseriesoftextdocumentsbutofcoursethiswasnotveryaccessible or searchable To improve accessibility theinformation was moved onto an MSAccess databasewiththeintentionthatthedatabasecouldbedistributedonrequestThisalsowasnrsquotsuchaneffectiveplanduetocomplicationswith the security featureswithinAccessthatchangedwitheachversionofthesoftwareinstalledon usersrsquo computers In 2006 it was decided that theonly way forward was to move the database onto theInternet For the most part this has been a success and it hasallowedmanyuserstoaccessthedataandextracttherelevantinformationfortheirprojectsandconsultancies

Overtimethoughtherehavebeen many developments in web-based databasesand WIOFish started to lag behind The system was slow and increasinglybecame more susceptible to hackers as it was runningon old software thatwas notprotected by new securityfeatures FurthermoreWIOFishrsquosemphasisaswithmany other online databases in the mid-2000s was moreabout facilitating data capture than simplifying browsingand extraction of information The necessity for moving onto updated software providedthe perfect opportunity to refocus the database onto the usersrsquoneeds

Changes to the database have included dropping the requirement toregisterasauserItwasfelt thateventhough registrationwas free it still created a barrierthatsomeuserswereunwillingtocrossThepreviouslayoutofasinglewebpageforalltheinformationabouta particular fishery was cumbersome so that featurehas been improved The database is now structuredintothemeswhichareselectableontheleftsideofthewebsiteThismakesiteasiertonavigatequicklytothetheme of interest We have also added the capability to include more time-series data While the intention of WIOFishisnottobeastatisticaldatabasetherehavebeen many requests to include time-series of effortdata(numberofvesselsgearsandfishers)alongwiththe already incorporated annual total catch and catch rate dataThis facility has been included andwill bepopulatedatthenextseriesofdataupdateworkshopsplanned for 2017 in each participating country Thedata extraction routines have also been simplified toprovide an easy option for exporting the data for further analyses in spreadsheets

Toaidaccesstothedatabasewehavemadea10minutevideothatgivesanoverviewofhowtousethedatabaseThis isavailableonYouTubeathttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=UX8B4JQFASE We sincerely hope that the changesmadewill encouragemore people to usethedatabasetosupportfisheriesmanagementaswellas for research and funding applications Please feelfree to visit the database on wwwwiofishorg to have a look at the extensive amount of information stored abouteachofthefisheriesoftheWIO

WIOFish Revamped (wwwwiofishorg) By Bernadine Everett (WIOFish Regional Coordinator)



Training on Board RV Mtafiti

From 18th to 27th April 2016 a workshop was organized by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in order to jumpstart the deployment of RV Mtafiti and thereby the advancement of marine science in the WIO region The workshop was sponsored by VLIR-UOS VLIZ KMFRI and IOC Africa The workshop was followed by a two-day training on-board RV Mtafiti which was funded by the Kenya Coastal Development Project (KCDP) The participants were drawn from the Indian Ocean countries of Kenya (KMFRI State Department of Fisheries Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) and University of Nairobi) Mozambique (Fisheries Research Institute (IIP) and Eduardo Mondlane University) Madagascar (Center of Studies and Development of Fisheries (CSDF)) India (NIO-CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography) Seychelles (Seychelles Fishing Authority) and Comoros (Centre Nationale de Documentation et de Recherche Scientifique (CNDRS)

ThetrainingwasofficiallyopenedbyDrRenisonRuwathe then acting Director of KMFRI It was conductedby four trainers Dr Andre Cattrijsse Mr FranciscoHernandez Mr Klaas Deneudt from the FlemishMarineScience Institute (VLIZ) inOostendeBelgiumandMrHarrisonOngrsquoandafromKMFRIThetrainersshared their expertise and experiences gained over the years deploying RV Mtafiti (formerly RV Zeeleeuw)andthenewvesselRVSimonStevinintheNorthSeaandknowledgeondatamanagementSinceRVMtafiti(meaning lsquoResearcherrsquo in KiSwahili) was originallya Belgium vessel and was presented to the KenyanGovernmentin2013tobeusedbyKMFRItheprevious

shipmanagerDrAndreCattrijsse(VLIZBelgium)gaveanoverviewof research conductedwithRVZeeleeuwintheNorthSeaandhowVLIZmanageditpriortoitsjourneytoitsnewhomeinKenya

DrEnockWakwabifromKMFRIKenyatalkedabouttheRVMtafitirsquosmaidenvoyagecarriedoutinDecember2015fromLikonitoShimonianduptoKilifiterritorialwatersMrMikaOdido(IOCAfricaNairobiKenya)impressed upon the participants the opportunities for RVMtafiti in the 2nd International IndianOceanExpedition (IIOE-2)(2015-2020) being launchedby UNESCOrsquos Intergovernmental OceanographicCommission (IOC) as amajor collaborative researchprogrammethatwillfurtheradvanceunderstandingofIndian Ocean processes The 1st International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE)was conducted in the early1960sandcelebratedits50thanniversaryin2015

The participants were trained on how to plan for ascientific cruise operating a research vessel use ofsamplingequipmentbudgetingcalculatingdailyratesorratepercruisegeneraloverviewoffisheries techniquesand application data management planning ndash storageand processing of collected data data analysis andvisualization

OncetheyboardedRVMtafititheyreceivedpracticaltraining based on the theory lessons given in the class They looked into the relationship of physical and biological parameters at Funzi Bay ShimoniKenya They also compared biological samples(surface zooplankton) chemical and oceanographic

parameters by deploying Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD) devices and Niskin bottles along different coastal depth profiles from20 m to 300 m Lastly theylearnt how to bait the hooksdeploy and retrieve Dropline fishing gear for samplingThe participants discussed research opportunities and challenges in the WIO region such as availability of ship time on RV Mtafiti for jointresearch and opportunitiesfor onboard training and education Further groupdiscussions on opportunities and challenges in fisheriesresearch in theWIO as wellas other regions of the Indian Ocean were also held duringthe training

Training on Scientific Cruise Planning Oceanographic Sampling Fisheries and Data Management By Nina Wambiji


MASMA Program Committee Approves New Projects

CTD canvas station 1 and WOD

MARG Grantee Articles

Every year WIOMSA disburses Marine Grants (MARG Grants I II and III) to researchers in the Western Indian Ocean region The MARG Programme covers all subject areas of marine science and technology MARG is a competitive grant system managed by a special Committee that selects proposals for research in those areas that are designated as being high priority within the development plans of the WIO member states The WIOMSA Newsbrief provides a platform for MARG grantees to present main highlights of their projects In this edition articles from Nikki Phair (MARG I grantee) and Prof Sophie von der Heyden (a MARG III Grant recipient) are featured

Assessing the vulnerability to future environmental conditions and population structure of the seagrass Zostera capensis By Nikki Phair

Climate and anthropogenic-associated environmental changes are pressuring coastal ecosystems and the services theycanprovideAssuchthemanagementofbiodiversityisbecomingincreasinglyimportantaswiththegrowthin

the human population comes an escalation in the diversity and intensity of anthropogenic environmental stressors Coastal ecosystems are increasingly dominated by human impacts such as development pollution and agriculturalrun-off with marine resources disproportionately reliedupon and overused One of the major exploiters of theoceansrsquoresourcesisthefisheriesindustrywithfishcatchesincreasing drastically in the past two decades Geneticdiversity is one aspect providing resilience for species to persist through environmental perturbations or pressures and to maintain functional roles in ecosystems Seagrasses are a relatively poorly studied yet vital component ofcoastalsystemsservingasspawninggroundsandnurseriesfor ecologically and commercially important species Globallyseagrasseshaveexperienceddeclinesinresponseto a combination of impacts including global warmingincreasedturbiditymajorstormeventsinvasiveorganismsanthropogenic influences such as coastal developmentdammingandpollutionandimportantlydiseaseAssuchthis project studied the distribution determinants of theseagrassZostera capensisinordertoassessthepotentialimpact of environmental change on its distribution in South


Africa Further I investigated thepopulation genetics of Z capensis in southern Africa

For the first part of my studyI used generalised additive modelling to quantify therelative importance of likely factors driving the contemporary distribution of Z capensis and thentoprojectitspotentialfuturedistribution to understand its vulnerability to projected SouthAfrican environmental conditions From this analysis estuarinemouthstateandprecipitationemergedasmajordeterminants of contemporary Z capensis distribution Mymodel projected the loss of significant areas (30)of suitable habitat for Z capensis near current range limitsplacingthespeciesatincreasedriskofcontractioninto adiminishing rangeofonly a fewestuarieson thesouth-easterncoastTheseresultsconcurwithprojectionsfor other seagrasses globally and raise concerns about futuredeclinesinextentandqualityofseagrasshabitatparticularly the negative effects on coastal biodiversitycommercially important fish populationswith seagrass-dependantjuvenilestagesandtrophictransferstoadjacentmarine ecosystems I recommend that marine spatial and biodiversity management planning be guided by assessing theon-goingstatusof suchspecies throughmonitoringwhilealsotargetingseagrassprotectioninsoutherlysitestooptimizefutureresilience

The second part of my study aimed to assess the genetic diversitygeneflowandpopulationstructureofZ capensis populations in southern African using molecular approaches Althoughmanyseagrassesreproducelargelyvegetativelyspecies such as Zostera marina display high levels of clonaldiversitysignificantisolationbydistanceandstrongpopulation structure at both regional and fine scalesAsZ capensis is found across a broad range of temperature

andenvironmentalconditionsandacross South African bioregionsI expected to find similar trendsto those observed in Z marina Sequences from the matK regionconfirmedthespeciesidentificationofallsamplesandshowedlittletono variation across all populations The lack of observed variation suggestsahighlevelofconnectivitygene flow clonal reproduction orselectionbutismorelikelydueto

insufficientmarkerresolutionInSouthAfricathegeneticstructure of estuarine species often correspondswith thethree main biogeographic regions and physical barriers to geneflowThisisthehypothesisthatIplantouseutelizinghigherresolutionmarkerssuchasSNPrsquosidentifiedthroughanext-generationsequencingapproachForafuturePhDstudy I will utilise RADseq to identify SNPs (SingleNucleotide Polymorphisms) in southernAfrican Zostera capensis We can thereby investigate both neutral and adaptivevariation andattempt to linkadaptivevariationwithgeneregionsofknownfunctionThiswillrevealmoreabout the vulnerability resilience and adaptations of thisseagrasswithimplicationsforitsfuturepersistenceandthemaintenance of its vital ecosystem services I am looking for samples fromEastAfrica in particularTanzania andMozambiquendash ifanyonecanhelppleasecontactmeon16099192sunaczaIwishtothankWIOMSArsquosMARGI programme for funding part of this study

ldquoFISH GENES amp GENOMES CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECOLOGY EVOLUTION amp MANAGEMENTrdquo the Annual Symposium of the Fisheries Societies of the British Isles Bangor Wales UK By Sophie von der Heyden

IwasluckyenoughtoattendthisyearrsquosFisheriesSocietyoftheBritishIslesannualsymposiuminBangorWalesTheconferencewasofspecialinterestnotonlybecause

itcloselyalignswithmyresearchon the genetics and genomics of southern African marine speciesbut also because of the fantastic plenary speaker line-up that included Robin Waples JennyOvenden and Louis Bernatchezand the close to 200 delegatesthat attended this four-day event Broadly the conference focussedon the use of molecular tools for understanding the evolution and ecologyoffishesndashmosttalkswereon marine species particularlyspecies of high commercial valuesuchascodandsalmonidsbut there was a scattering ofpresentation on freshwater fishestoo ranging from theAmazonianRainforest to the streams and rivers of Australia There wasdefinitelysomethingforeveryone

Nikki Phair is a PhD student working on thegenomics of Zostera capensis in South and EastAfrica In particular she is interested in signals of local adaptation and the environmental drivers that maintain adaptation in the face of climate change She is based at the Evolutionary Genomics GroupDepartment of Botany and Zoology University ofStellenbosch SouthAfrica and can be contacted at16099192sunacza or through the Facebook page of the von der Heyden lab wwwfacebookcomvonderheydenlab

Healthy Zostera capensis bed on the Infanta bank of the Breede River


The basis ofmy talk on lsquoGenesampBoundaries and theshifting balance in marine spatial planningrsquo (thanksto StefanoMariani for the great title) is rooted in theconcept of the protection of not only biodiversity butalso the evolutionary diversity that underpins thiswitharecognitionthatweneedtoprotectnotonlytheextantpatternsof speciesdiversity but also theprocesses thathaveshapedandcontinuetoshapethepatternsthatwesee today Genetic diversity is one of the three facets of biodiversitybutisstillwidelyunder-usedinconservationplanning despite its importance in determining theecological fate of all species

I used the opportunity in Bangor to speak about the idea of lsquogeneticsurrogate speciesrsquo in marine spatialplanning This idea stems from a paper authoredbyDanWright(Wrightetal2015 Genetic isolation by distancereveals restricted dispersal across a range of life-histories implications for biodiversity conservation planning across highly variable marineenvironmentsDiversity and Distributions 21 698-710) wherewe showed population divergence and restricted geneflow for South African intertidal species whereas theredromanasparidfishofhighmanagementconcernisgeneticallypanmictic(nopopulationstructure)whichisthecaseformanyoftheSouthAfricanlinefishspeciesThismeansthat ifamanagementobjective is toprotectgenetic diversity or evolutionary history sparids arepoorproxiesforconservationplanningbecauseoftheir

genetic homogeneity From an evolutionary perspective itwouldnotmatterwhereyouplaceanMPAHoweverinthiscasetheendresultwillbethatfortheremainderof the biodiversity that are not coastal fishes and thathave genetically structured populations we may endupprotectingthewrongareasandnotcapturingthefullevolutionary potential This is particularly important in rapidly changing climates where different populationsmay have different genomic architectures to deal withchange Therefore understanding patterns of local adaptationandhowthesemightallowadaptationintothefuture is crucial

Using the recent work of anothergraduate student in my lab EricaNielsenIdiscussedtheneedforbetterintegration of genetic information in marine spatial planning and provided examples of how geneticmetricsimproveplanningoutcomeswhilst focusing on the context ofdifferent genetic metrics regarding conservation objectives I endedby highlighting that future research avenues into the use of genomics and

seascapeanalyticsthatwillallowustounravelthedrivingforcesbehindpopulationdivergencegeneflowandlocaladaptationndashveryexcitingroadsaheadAheartfeltthankyou toWIOMSAfor thefinancial support toattend theconferenceYoucanfindphotossummariesandavideoof a great talk on the genetic structuring of Cape hake on the von der Heyden Lab FB page wwwfacebookcomvonderheydenlab

Sophie von der Heyden is an Associate Professor in the Evolutionary GenomicsGroup based in the Department of Botanyand Zoology University of Stellenbosch inSouth Africa Her interests are the application of molecular tools for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of marine biodiversity Youcan contact her at svdhsunacza or via wwwfacebookcomvonderheydenlab or on Twittervonderheydenlab

Delegates at the ldquoFish amp Genesrdquo symposium in Bangor Wales


Articles from Recently Completed PhDs

This article outlines the main findings of a multi-institutional PhD research project involving a collaboration among the Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management (APNA) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels Belgium) Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (Mombasa Kenya) Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Resource Management of the Universiteacute Libre de Bruxelles and the Laboratory of Wood Biology and Xylarium of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren Belgium) It was funded by the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR) under the framework of ICP PhD VLIR-UOS programme Additional funding was provided by the Fonds David et Alice Van Buuren and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) The study was done under the supervision of Prof Dr Nico Koedam and co-promoters Prof Dr Farid Dahdouh-Guebas and Dr James Kairo between the years 2009 - 2016 The study looked at disturbance in mangroves from two perspectives i) as it occurs in nature and (ii) projected large forms of disturbance as a result of increased anthropogenic pressure and predicted climate change related events with a focus on sedimentation

Mangrove ecosystems constitute a relatively small areal coverage as compared to other tropical forests yet theyare of great benefit to humans as well as an importantcomponent of marine biodiversity These ecosystems are shapedbyaninteractionofseveralfactorsincludingtidessediment fluxes topography soil and water salinity aswellas freshwater inputSecondary influencecomesfromanthropogenic activities such as exploitation or any other activity that may alter the aforementioned factors When at a dynamic equilibrium these factors interact to createabalanceandwithsome levelofdisturbance thesystemin its entirety can still ensure resilience For instancewhile sediment deposition and accumulation inmangroveecosystemsplayamajorroleinenhancingsubstratestabilityforbetteranchorageofthetreesandcreatingnewmudflatsfor further mangrove colonisation among other benefitswithincreasingdemandforagriculturallandupstreamthedelivery of riverine sediment to the coastal areas is currently increasing with large rivers transporting up to 18 billiontonnes per year We investigated the effect of partial burial onthreemangrovetreespeciesAvicennia marinaCeriops tagal and Rhizophora mucronatainaplantationinGaziBay-Kenya throughexperimentalsedimentationat three levels(1530and45cm)

Results on phelogical cycle morphology and anatomicalvariations following sudden and heavy sedimentationindicate the resilience and short period adaptability of several youngmangrovetreesofthreecommonandwiderangingspecies I do not intend to extrapolate this as yet such as to statethatnaturalandexpectedmajoranthropogenicfloodingand sedimentation events can be borne by mangroves in general As I also observed and as has been corroborated by datafromourresearchgroupelsewhereandinothersettingsby several authorsmangroves have indeed suffered fromsedimentationAnysuchworkastheoneIperformedwithmycolleaguesisreductionistinnatureitnecessarilynarrowsdowntoseveralfactorscontrollingforconfoundingfactorsandprocessesHowever in situ mangroves are not solely affected by sedimentation but face a variety of impactsmany of them increasing due to human action These combined factors may challenge the resilience of individual trees the assemblage and ultimately the ecosystem anddemand both the combination of reductionist approaches as wellascomprehensiveobservations

The Potential of Community Based Coral Aquaculture in Madagascar By Dr Gildas TODINANAHARY I undertookmy PhD from 2012 to 2016working onevaluatingthebiologicaleconomicandsocialpotentialsof coral aquaculture in SouthWestMadagascar ThePhD research was carried out at the Fishery andMarineScience Instituteof theUniversityofToliaraMadagascarandtheBiologyofMarineOrganismsandBiomimetism laboratory of the University of MonsBelgiumunderthePIC(ldquoProgrammeInteruniversitaireCibleacuterdquo) ARES-CCD program titled ldquoDevelopmentof community-based coastal polyaquaculture in theSouthwest and theNorth ofMadagascarrdquo funded bythe ARES-CCD of Belgium Further support wasprovidedbyWIOMSAthroughaMARGIgrant

In the context of the global decline of coral reef biodiversity and the continueddevelopmentof living coralmarketscoral aquaculture (coralliculture) offers a promisingtechnique to address these challenges In Madagascarcommunity-basedaquacultureisconsideredanalternative

Resilience of Mangroves in the face of Climate change A Focus on the Impacts of Large Sedimentation Events By Judith Auma Okello - ResearchScientistKenyaMarineandFisheriesResearchInstitute


tofishingandtounsustainableharvestingofbiodiversityresources from the wild My PhD research focusedon identifying the biodiversity of the most common scleractiniansevaluating their recruitmentpotentialandchoosing the best candidates for coral farming findingout the best method of transport for exporting live farmed coralsandevaluatingthepotentialofcoralfarminginthevillages of the South-West of Madagascar

Main Findings Scleractinian biodiversityThe scleractinian biodiversity of Madagascar is mainly known fromone studyperformed in theBayofToliara(SW ofMadagascar) in the 1970s I reinvestigated thescleractinion biodiversity 40 years later and initiatedthe implementation of a molecular database based on 18S rDNA fragments as an easy tool for identificationofadultsand recruitsMyresults showed lowerspeciesdiversity compared to the previous study and similarity with other sites in the Indian Ocean region Most ofthe well-represented genera were recorded and theappearance of previously unrecorded species suggests that the scleractinian communities are changing instead ofonlydeclining Itwasalsoshown that theuseof the18SrDNAdatabase(fromadultspecimen)permittedanincreaseintheresolutionofrecruitrsquos identificationfromtheleveloffamily(withthetraditionaltaxonomickey)tothe level of species or genus

Coral recruitmentThe reproduction period of scleractinians in the SW region was evaluated through weekly monitoring ofthe presence of coral larvae (planula) in plankton amonthly evaluation of the newly settled corals (1 yearltRecruits)andmonitoringofthejuvenilesrsquorecruitment(1ltJuvenileslt2years)Planulawasobserved9monthsayearItwasabundantfromthebeginningofthewarmwetseason(SeptembertoNovember)Peaklarvaldensitywas observed from September toDecember suggestingthatmost corals release their fertilizedeggs a fewdaysor weeks before NovemberDecember Compared tootherregionstherecruitmentrateobservedintheSWofMadagascarwashigh(100togt1000recruitsm-2 year-1)Italsovariedwithseasonandpeaksofrecruitmentwereobserved between October and December Results ofjuvenilesmonitoringrevealedhighrates(gt10juvenilesm-2)comparedtootherregionsandtothethresholdbutitrevealed high mortality of the recruits

Coral aquacultureThe coral species Acropora nasuta and Seriatopora caliendrum were used to test community-based coralaquaculture inMadagascar Suitable rearing techniqueswereexperimentedSurvivalandgrowthrateofthecoralnubbinsweremonitoredduringwetwarmanddrycoldseasonsCoralnubbinswererearedatadepthof1mwith

atemperatureof2631plusmn207degCasalinityof3267plusmn119psuanda sedimentation rateof055plusmn028mgcm-2 d-1 ResultsshowedthatA nasutahadasignificantlyhighersurvival rate than S caliendrum during both seasons HoweverS caliendrumgrewfasterthanA nasuta during thewetwarmseasonbutnosignificantdifferencewasobservedduringthedrycoldseasonFurtherbothspeciesgrewfasterduringthedrycoldseasonTheseresultsarein the range of reference values for corals

Economical feasibilityTodetermineeconomicfeasibilitythecoralmarketwasinvestigated and the yields were also calculated usingtechnicalbiologicalandsocialparametersofproductionResultsshowedthattheactivitycouldbeprofitablefromlessthan100coralnubbinssoldpermonthLivemarineanimal retailer companies and biodiversity conservation NGOs are the main clients and partners for coralliculture farming in Madagascar The findings of the presentstudy proved that community-based coral aquacultureis technically and biologically feasible using low costmaterials and spending minimal working time for thecommunity compared to fishing and practicing othertypesofaquaculturelikeseacucumberoralgaefarmingAlsotheeconomicevaluationofacoralfarmingprojectalso proved that it could be fully profitable at a small-scale production notably at community scaleTherebyitcouldbeanalternativesourceofrevenuetothefishingcommunitiesandcontributetoreducingfishingpressureson the coral reefs The integration of coral farming within existing and well-established community-basedpolyaquacultureissuggestedtoensureitsviability

Location of the studied stations


Young career marine scientists from WIO join forces By Karolien Van Puyvelde

Publication from the thesisTodinanaharyGGBAndrifaniloHPucciniNLavitraTGrosjeanPEeckhautI(2016)Community-basedcoralaquacultureinMadagascaraprofitableeconomicsystemforasimplerearingtechniqueAquaculture[DOI101016jaquaculture201607012]

Aquacultured A nasuta

Coastal erosion the collapse of fisheries coral bleaching community livelihoods in decline sea level risehellipsolving the coastal problems in the Western Indian Ocean Region in Africa seems beyond reach of scientists Can something be done Science can provide answers when scientists come together from different disciplines to translate science to policy makers and coastal managers The InteGRADE workshop brings together regional and Belgian marine and lacustrine scientists and trains them to become agents of change

The 12-day-workshop InteGRADE1 (1-12 August2016) inChuiniZanzibarwasorganizedby theStateUniversityofZanzibar(SUZA)andtheteambehindtheldquoOceansandLakesrdquoMastersprogrammeofferedbytheVrije Universiteit Brussel the UniversiteitAntwerpenand Universiteit Gent in Belgium The project wassupported by the Flemish Interuniversity Council ndashUniversity Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS)through its South Initiatives framework The aimwastoguidemarineandlacustrinescientists innetworkingand proposal writing by integrating scientific interestwithgrantingagenciesrsquoagendasandneedsexpressedbygovernance and policy makers

OverseveraldecadestheMastersprogrammeinBelgiumhas trained marine and coastal scientists from all over theworldManygraduatesarenowinkeyresearchor

1 INternational inTEnsive Southern training proGRAmme and network DEvelopment for marine and lacustrine scientists

managementpositionsinKenyaTanzaniaSouthAfricaMadagascarandMozambiqueManyofthemparticularlyyoung career scientists need to fully exploit existingscientificnetworksiftheyaretobecomeagentsofchangein theWIOregionThe InteGRADEworkshop targetedthis group of graduates

lsquoConnectivityrsquo was chosen as the theme of the firstInteGRADEworkshopwhichisintendedtobefollowedup every few years from now ldquoConnectivity becausescientific disciplines must be connected and this in atransboundary connected networkrdquo said the workshopconvenerProfNicoKoedam(VrijeUniversiteitBrussels)in his opening address A team of Belgian experts directed workshop proceedings These included ProfNico Koedam Prof Ann Vanreusel Dr Karolien VanPuyvelde and Dr Jean Hugeacute InteGRADE was hostedbyProfMohammedSheikhfromtheStateUniversityofZanzibarApoolofWIOregionalexpertswhichincludedDrAnushaRajkaran(UniversityofWesternCapeSouthAfrica)DrJohanGroeneveld(OceanographicResearchInstituteSouthAfrica)DrRashidJumaRashid(SUZA)DrCosmasMunga (TechnicalUniversity ofMombasaKenya) Dr Mohamed Omar Said (Kenya WildlifeService Kenya) Dr James Gitundu Kairo (KenyaMarineandFisheriesResearchInstituteKenya)andDrJudyMann-Lang(SouthAfricanAssociationforMarineBiologicalResearchSouthAfrica)wasalsoonhand toprovidevaluableinputthroughouttheworkshop


With this extraordinary combination of experts intensivelyinteractingwithWIOyoungcareerscientistsover 12 days creativity and problem-solving wenthand-in-hand with training networking and acquiringscience communication skills Throwing geneticistssedimentologists social scientistsfisheries biologists mangroveforesters toxicologists into thecauldron of coastal challenges in the huge WIO region could have been considered somewhat of a risk andyet all participantswere connectedby their strong training background and willingness to come up withprojectproposalsFrom the InteGRADE workshop 3strongprojectideasemergedtocopewith challenges in theWIO region

each supported by an international and interdisciplinary group of young career scientists These project ideas could bedeveloped into operational programmesbut whatever the outcome in the short-termthenetworkingamongstWIOyoungcareerscientists throughInteGRADEwasachieved To develop these ideas the 20oddparticipantsfirstoutlined-withintheirdisciplines-howtodealwiththreecoastalchallenges (1) public health as relatedto environmental quality (2) balancedfisheries considering fish stock depletionand genetic diversity and (3) coastalimpacts of a neglected problem ndash baitcollectionTheworkinggroupswerethenreshuffled to combine diverse scientific disciplines and country backgrounds in order to generate a comprehensive approach foreachproblemThroughthisexercisetheyoung career scientists learnt that through consolidating institutional networks theynot only increase their opportunities for funding but also strive to become agents of

change Ecologists should probably learn from the systems theystudywithsomuchpassionbiotaandtheirinterlinkagesineveryecosystemgeneratepropertiesandresiliencewhichare

more than the sum of these elements Similarly highly trained youngscientists with targeted expertise canachieve so much more when theirknowledgeandcreativityiscombinedInteGRADEwasjustsuchaninitiativetoldquoconnectandintegraterdquoDr Karolien Van Puyvelde will beworking with regional InteGRADEcolleagues to conduct a series of InteGRADE training workshops inthe coming decade with a view tohaving the regional partners taking a lead in the process

The open discussion circle lsquobarazarsquo the dorsquos and donrsquots of writing proposals Very productive meeting As in an African community meeting each of the participants takes the word and shares experiences on successes and failures of earlier project preparation and implementation (photo provided by Nico Koedam)

Strategic Adaptive Management Program (SAM) launched in Seychelles By Dr Jennifer OrsquoLeary Flavien Joubert Allen Cedras Isabelle Ravinia amp Arthur Tuda

Lack of effective management remains the single largest problem facing the worldrsquos protected area system In the Western Indian Ocean marine protected areas (MPAs) are no exception with issues including unclear management objectives ad hoc decision making without data low capacity of MPA managers to deal with uncertainty and few systems for demonstrating effectiveness MPAs strive to protect critical marine habitations and ecosystems and maintain ecosystem services to people However if ineffectively managed issues such as poaching within

the MPAs as well as external impacts including climate change extensive fishing around the boundaries and pollution can harm the potential of MPAs to protect the last remaining pockets of unaltered biodiversity Therefore scientists are calling for up to 30 of the worldrsquos oceans to be included in effectively managed MPAs

Since2009 theStrategicAdaptiveManagement(SAM)Program has been working with MPA managementagencies in the WIO to develop management decision makingframeworksthatincorporatescientificdatafocus

Some quotes from the post workshop evaluation Threewordstodescribethisworkshoptoacolleague

ldquoInnovative Informative skills developmentrdquo

ldquoIntensive Internationalregional Relevantrdquo

Three new things that you have learnt

ldquowriting proposal integration from science to community science communicationrdquo

ldquodiscourse concept importance of integrated projects dorsquos and donrsquots of proposal writingrdquo


managementonpriorityissuesandinvolvereflectiononmanagement impacts The SAM program strives to train entireagenciesratherthanindividualsandprovidelong-termmentoringonthescaleof5-10yearsWithsupportfrom WIOMSArsquos Marine Science for ManagementProgram(MASMA)in2012theKenyaWildlifeServicelaunched the SAM process to enhance management in its nationalMPAsTanzaniafollowedsuitin2014withapilotstartedintheMafiaIslandMarineParkandReserveandwith current expansion going on to include all nationalparks and reserves

This August (2016) the Seychelles National ParksAuthority (SNPA) has launched the SAM approach innationalMPAswith support from the Pew Foundationthrough a PewMarine Conservation Fellows award toDr Jennifer OrsquoLeary Aweek long SAM training andstrategic planning sessionwas held inCurieuseMarinePark in the Seychelles led byDrOrsquoLearyMrArthurTudaMrAllenCedras andSNPACEOMr FlavienJoubertThe 40 hour session brought together 20MPAmanagers rangers and conservationresearch officersfrom 7MPAs and 6 institutions SNPA GlobalVisionInternational (GVI) IslandConservationSociety (ICS)Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) the SeychellesMinistry of Environment and Seychelles Universitystudents

Through the week the agencies reached consensus on6 MPA goals and 10 measurable (SMART) objectivesthat will guide MPA management over the course of

the next several years Participants practicedbasic ecological and social monitoring techniques so thateach objective can beassessed and practicedsummarizing andpresentingdataonMPAstatus In additionparticipants did several exercises on selecting management actions focused on key problems and assessing the impact of actions Finally eachagency mapped out its plan to implement effective management practices in the MPAs

over the next one year Work will continue throughAugusttobuildthecapacityofSNPArangerstoassessMPA status throughmonitoring and effectively planimplementandassessconservationactions

FollowingtheSAMworkshopthereisgreatenthusiasmforworkingtowardeffectiveMPAmanagement in theSeychelles In the words of one participant ldquoI nowfeelcompetenttoimprovethemanagementwithinmyagencyandcorrectmanagementweaknessesrdquoAnotherparticipantindicatedldquoBeforeSAMIfeltweweregoingnowhere in theMPA Iwork in Now I feelwe havedirectionandIamempoweredrdquoTheSAMProgramwillcontinuetoworkwiththeMPAsandMPAmanagementagencies in the Seychelles for at least the next 3 years to ensure that the excitement and momentum continues and thatagencies feelcompetent inmanagingwithanevidence-based and adaptive framework Since thetrainingtherehasalreadybeennewinitiativestolaunchadaptivemanagementapproachesinSeychellesMPAsICS conducted training of staff that were not able toattend the SAM training and is developing SMART goals and objectives SIF and theMinistry of EnvironmentaredevelopingnewSMARTobjectivesandnewsocialsurveys for terrestrial protected areas and SNPA islaunchingamonthlyranger-ledmonitoringprograminitsMPAsInthewordsoftheSNPACEOMrJoubertldquoSNPA strives to lead marine conservation in theSeychellesandSNPAstaffcanseethebenefitofhavingSAM in the country SNPA commits to implementingSAM over the next year and into the futurerdquo

SAM Participants in a group photo


Early in 2015 WIOMSA was asked to assist with the development of a technical paper and proposal for a coastal and marine TBCA between the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania The technical paper provided an indicative road map and timeframe for a series of actions that need to be undertaken to initiate the process establish and operationalize the TBCA as well as an indication of information and research gaps that will need to be addressed Finally suggestions with regard to infrastructure development staffing and equipment requirements were presented The technical paper also provided a basis for proposals to seek support from funding agencies The concept was presented at the COP 8 of the Nairobi Convention in Seychelles in June 2015 and a decision was taken at the highest level by the countries involved and the WIO region to endorse this approach

Following on from this process the possibility of theEUIOC BIODIVERSITY Project supporting some ofthepreparatoryactivitiesidentifiedwasraisedatthe2ndRegional Technical Committee meeting of the Biodiversity Projectheld inDaresSalaaminMarch2016Thetwocountrieswereaskedtoprovideaconceptforaseriesofactivities that theProjectmaybeable tosupportduring2017and2018TheIOCconsequentlyhiredaconsultantDrSueWellstoundertakeafeasibilitystudytodetermine

whichactivitiescouldbesupportedwithinthebudgetaryconstraintsoftheprojectAspartofthisprocesstheIOChosteda consultationworkshopatTangaBeachResortTanzania 26th - 27th July 2016 to which a variety ofstakeholderswere invited and atwhichWIOMSAwasrepresented

Aseriesofgroupactivitieswereundertakenbyparticipantswherebasedonthecurrentsituationandtheinformationavailable potential priority activities for support wereidentifiedTheseincludebull Establishment of an Interim TBCA co-ordination

mechanism The TBCA Core Group had been formed during the initial TBCA conceptualization stagespearheadedbyKWSMPRUNairobiConventionandWIOMSA The Core Group guided the formation of the TBCA concept note and the development of the initial proposal(plannedfortheGEFbutnotyetsubmitted)AninterimmechanismwasnowneededtotakethenextstepsforwardwiththesupportoftheIOC

bull Convene a TBCA multi institutional consensus building forumThepurposeofthiswouldbetocreatebuyinandbring all stakeholders to the same level of understanding abouttheobjectivesboundariesgovernanceetcoftheTBCA

Progress with the proposed marine and coastal Transboundary Conservation Area (TBCA) between Kenya and Tanzania - Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) Workshop to Discuss Support for Preparatory Activities

TBCA Participants in Tanga

WIOMSA Annual Report 2015WIOMSA prepares its Annual Report each year tohighlight its key activities and achievements to memberspartners and stakeholders The2015reportisnotableforitsprofilingofselectedworkfrom WIOMSA grantees in the MASMA Projects andthe MARG Grantees and the launch of the Regional State of the Coast Report for the Western Indian Ocean It also features work done byWIOMSA and its partners

Regional State of the Coast Report for the Western Indian Ocean A Summary for Policy Makers

UNEP the NairobiConvention and WIOMSA are proud to present the Regional State of the Coast Report for the Western Indian Ocean A Summary for PolicyMakers This summarywhose format closelymatches the full Regional StateoftheCoastReporthighlights the main issues in each of the chapters of the Regional State of the Coast Report and the policy implications

The full report provides insight into the enormous economic potential around the Western Indian Oceanthe consequential demand for marine ecosystem goodsand services to match the increasing human population and the opportunities to avoid serious degradation in one of the worldrsquos most unique and highly biodiverseoceans The report presents exploratory scenarios and a policy analysis to better inform anticipatory planning and management of coastal and marine resources


Get your article publishedWe are accepting articles for the next issue of the WIOMSA NewsbriefArticlesshouldbeamaximumoftwopagesSendyourarticles to secretarywiomsaorgbythe30th ofNovember2016

TheExecutiveSecretaryWesternIndianOceanMarineScienceAssociation(WIOMSA)MizinganiStreetHouseNo1364410POBox3298ZanzibarUnitedRepublicofTanzaniaPhone+255242233472Fax+255242233852E-mailsecretarywiomsaorg Web wwwwiomsaorg

bull Harmonization of natural resource managementapproaches between Kenya and Tanzania Thiswould require an analysis of existing managementapproachesandsubsequentdiscussionsatnationalandregional levels todevelop ideasonhowapproachescould be harmonisedwithin theTBCA It is likelythatastudywillbeneededtoinformtheprocessandidentify options

bull Regional baseline surveys and assessments of existing informationtoidentifyknowledgegapsThesewouldinvolve the gathering existing relevant informationidentificationofthreatsandhotspotsandclarificationof values and benefits of natural resources to localpeopleandidentifyknowledgegaps

bull Sensitization awareness creation and stakeholderengagement at all levels (community local andnational government and regional level)Undertakesensitisation and stakeholder engagement at all levels to ensure a common understanding of the proposed TBCA raise awareness and identify interests and

New Publications

critical issues of concern Target audiences willinclude communities politicians private sectormanagersdecisionmakersetcTheCoreGroupwilloverseeandbeinvolvedinsensitizationmeetings

bull Reviewdevelop andfinalizeboundary Itwas agreedthatfurtherworkanddiscussionisneededonboundarydelineation for the TBCA due to the complexity of land ownership (private public community land) in thecoastal terrestrial component the proximity of otherspatial management measures for marine resources (egTangaCoelacanthMarineParkPECCA)andthelack of certainty about bathymetry and ecology of the seawardportionoftheTBCAThisactivitywillneedtotakeaccountofecosystemconnectivitysocio-economicfactors and resource use land tenure cultural issuesrelevantlegislationineachcountryotherspatialplansinplacewithinandadjacenttotheTBCAareaetc

The next step in the process is for theBIODIVERSITYProject to assess the outcomes of this workshop anddeterminewhichactivitiescanbefundedin2017and2018


Non-academic impacts What are theyNon Academic Impacts refer to the effect of academic researchandeducationoutsideof science (ie changeordevelopment or improvement)while Scientific Impact isthe effectwithin the scientific community It is useful todefineclearlywhatnon-academicimpactactuallymeansldquoItisasignificantchangeofreachandbenefitinsocietyoutsideoftheacademiccommunityenabledbyscientificallygenerated knowledge and academic activitiesrsquo Changeimplies progression from one state to another and there is a needtomeasureldquosignificantchangerdquoSocietal Impact from Science has been viewed fromdynamic perspectives over time The traditional approach addressed dissemination and technology transfer as beingseparateLater the focuswason the integrationofKnowledgetransferinresearchprocesseswhilethecurrentfocus on non-Academic Impact places emphasis on a greater responsibility for societal impact to be integrated in research and education There is no doubt that science conducted according to scientificprocess has had a profound impact on society However this shift offocus has resulted in an increasing need for scientists to communicate science to society and to funding agencies It is important to incorporate impact now toaddressquestionsthatarebeingraisedabouttheimpactofinvestmentsofpublicfundingtouseacceptablemethodstosystematicallymanageandplanforimpactandtobeabletodemonstrate impact Non-Academic Impact is relevant and science should not only be potentially relevant to industry but itshouldalsoassessormeasurehowthisimpactisreachedThis requires better planning toidentify the right target audience since the target audience for science outputs is very diversemaking it difficult to focus thecommunicationonaspecificgroupTo move from science to impact we need scientificknowledge As scientists our contribution to changeis our output ie generating scientific knowledge tospawn the innovationprocessandenabling impactbydefiningdesirableimpactWhereas the scientific process mainly includes inputsactivities and outputs the impact process consists ofoutputs(deliverables)outcomes(ieshorttermchanges)andImpacts(longtermeffects)Scientistsoftenlacktheskillsandtoolsincentivestimeandresourcestofollowuponimpactaftertheendoftheirresearchproject

The MASMA Projects which Participated in the Capacity development for Impact Workshop1 Emerging Knowledge for Local Adaptation (EKLA) to Climate Change2 Developing a model for strategic adaptive management (SAM) of marine protected areas in the Western Indian Ocean region 3 Dugongs (Dugong dugon) of the Western Indian Ocean Region ndash Identity Distribution Status Threats and Management4 Advancing adaptive co-management of small scale fisheries in East Africa5 Drink bottles and aluminium grids could minimize deaths of marine turtles dugongs and dolphins in fishing gears (ByCAM)6 Small-scale fisheries in three estuaries of the Western Indian Ocean ndash identifying essential socio-ecological links for improved governance

(Estuarize-WIO)7 Responses of Biological Productivity and Fisheries to Changes in Atmospheric and Oceanographic Conditions in the Upwelling Region

Associated With the East African Coastal Current (PEACC - Productivity in the EACC under Climate Change)8 Linking marine science traditional knowledge and cultural perceptions of the sea in the Mozambique Channel to build tomorrowrsquos marine

management using spatial simulation tools and educational gamersquo (MOZALINK)

The WorkshopPertinentissuesdiscussedbyparticipantsattheworkshopincludedwhether scientists require additional specializedstudiestodetermineiftheirprojecthasachievedthedesiredimpactthelackofclarityonwhatmanyfundingagenciesmean by ldquoimpactrdquo the fact that the innovation processtakesbetween5-15yearsforasignificantchangetobefeltand that for impact to be felt many different actors need to beinvolvedincludingthetargetedsocietyScientistsmayviewldquoimpactrdquoasaburdenhowevertheinnovationprocessshouldnotbeaunidirectionalbutafeedbackprocesswhichrequires its inclusion in the theoretical planning processIn many instances science is already implying impact but lacks the tools to showor communicate thisPart of thesolutionliesinscientistsclearlydistinguishingbetweentheprojectactivitiesoutputsandoutcomesIn the workshop the participantswereintroducedtovarioustoolsandframeworks for integrating impactand spent much time working ingroups on exercises to apply the tools in their respective MASMA researchprojectOccasionalplenarysessionswereusedascheckpointsfor feedback to assess each teamrsquosprogressBytheendoftheworkshoptheeightprojectteams(Seetextbox1)haddevelopedan impact story for their respectiveresearchprojectThe impactstoryplaysan important roleto emphasize the value of scientific knowledge (which isdifferent fromgeneralknowledgeoropinion)Participantssaw the potential for doing several impact stories perprojectTheimpactstoriesdevelopedaredraftproductsthatWIOMSAwillbeworkingon improvingwith thehelpofcommunication specialists to deliver desired core messages

Does Academic Excellence result in

Non Academic Impact

As a researcher As a researcher managing many projects is it

feasible to follow up all the impacts

The drive for impact The drive for impact

may reduce the diversity of funding for research it is important that the funding council gets involved in science

planning

Frameworks

I Science to Impact

IITheImpactProcess

IIIKnowledgeAssets

IVInnovationProcess

V Theutilizationhypothesis

Tools

I The Impact Circle

II Intellectual Assets Inventory(IAI)

IIITheUtilizationCanvas

IV Impact Case

Exercises

I UsingtheImpactcircletodescribetheimpactchainintheproject

II Describing the intellectual assets withintheprojectinanIAI

IIICreatingautilizationhypothesisbased on the central Impacts in the projectrsquosInnovationCircle

IV Building an Impact Case using the information collected in exercises I-III

V Revisingprojectnarrativebasedon the Impact Case and the Impact Story guidelines

The Frameworks and Tools for impact generation introduced and the related exercises carried out by participants


















































































































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Newsbrief - WIOMSA · MARG Grantee Articles: ... greater responsibility for societal impact to be integrated in research and education. There is no doubt that science ... solution

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