Marine'World'Heritage'in'the'' Western'Indian'Ocean'
What%is%World%Heritage?! Tethys! Sea! that! once! flowed! The! 1972! World! Heritage! Convention! between! Africa! and! Eurasia! and! conserves! and! protects! cultural! and! the! Middle! East! (250! to! 15! natural! heritage! of! Outstanding! Universal! million!years!ago).!! Value! (OUV).! Today,! the! World! Heritage! The!Western!Indian!Ocean!(WIO)! List! contains! 962! terrestrial! and! marine! is! the! largest! biogeographic! province! in! sites,! in! 157! countries.! World! Heritage! this!region,!but!among!the!least!studied!of! natural! sites! protect! almost! 2.5! million! 2 the!world’s!seas,!posing!a!great!challenge! km !of!the!planet’s!lands!and!waters.!! to! effective! conservation! of! its! World! Heritage! protects! sites! of! biodiversity.!! Outstanding'Universal'Value!–!places!that! This! study! was! conducted! to! both! pilot! a! are!recognized!as!heritage!for!all!mankind,! new! approach! for! identifying! marine! superlative! examples! of! nature! and! World! Heritage! (see! back! page),! and! to! cultural! features! on! our! planet.! The! identify! exceptional! features! in! the! WIO! convention!has!had!success!in!conserving! that! possibly! could! become! World! special!places!of!which!the!loss!would!be! Heritage.!A!novel!feature!of!the!work!was! irreplaceable.!The!goal!of!this!project!is!to! to! look! for! the! first! time! at! larger! areas! identify!how!best!to!apply!the!convention! than! the! traditional! countryXbyXcountry! to! exceptional! places! in! the! marine! approach.! Because! many! marine! features! environment,!with!a!focus!on!the!Western! transcend! national! boundaries,! adequate! Indian!Ocean.!! protection! of! marine! WH! values! will! % require!this!larger!scale!approach.! The%oceans%and%World%Heritage% Exceptional% marine% sites% in% the% Western% More! than! 70%! of! the! earth’s! surface! is! Indian%Ocean% ocean,!and!more!than!90%!of!its!habitable! Two!features!stand!out!as!globally!unique! volume.! The! World! Heritage! List! includes! in! the! Western! Indian! Ocean! –! the! 46! marine! sites! recognized! as! World! Mozambique'Channel!and!the!Mascarene' Heritage! because! of! the! exceptional! Plateau! (map,! lower! right).! They! are! biodiversity! of! their! ecosystems,! their! distinct!elements!of!the!geological!history! unparalleled! beauty! or! because! they! of! the! Indian! Ocean! basin! and! affect! the! contain! geological! processes! found! currents!that!drive!all!marine!ecosystems! nowhere! else! on! the! planet.! Of! all! 6,000! and! biodiversity! in! the! region,! from! marine! protected! areas! (MPAs)! on! the! millions!of!years!ago,!until!today.!! planet,!these!marine!World!Heritage!sites! The'Mozambique'Channel'formed'over' cover!about!1/3!of!the!total!area.!! 150' million' years' ago' when' The%Western%Indian%Ocean% Madagascar'separated'from'Africa.' The! Western! IndoXPacific! (map,! below)! The'Mascarene'Plateau'was'formed' stretches!from!Thailand!in!the!east!to!East! 40I25' million' years' ago' by' volcanic' Africa!and!the!Red!Sea!in!the!west.!It!has!a! activity' of' the' MascareneIReunion' distinct!fauna!with!up!to!¼!of!fish!species! hotspot.' being! different! from! the! broader! IndoX Pacific.! Evolutionarily! it! has! links! to! the!
Page%1% Main'Findings%
The%Mozambique%Channel% % The! Mozambique! Channel! % experiences! a! highly! energetic! and! The%Mascarene%Plateau% variable! regime! of! circular! currents! The! Mascarene! Plateau! was! produced! (eddies,! approx.! 100X300! km! across)! from! about! 40X25! million! years! ago! by! a! that!cause!water!to!flow!in!all!directions!–! volcanic! hotpot,! the! MascareneXReunion! north,! south,! east! and! west.! These! volcano.!! The!banks!on!the!plateau!(Saya! fundamentally! affect! the! diversity! and! de!Malha,!Nazareth!and!Cargados!Carajos)! productivity! of! marine! ecosystems! within! rise! to! just! 20! m! below! the! sea! surface! the! channel.! The! coral! reefs! in! the! over! 100s! of! square! km,! with! only! a! tiny! northern!part!of!the!channel!are!the!most! fragment!of!emergent!land!at!its!southern! diverse! in! the! Western! IndoXPacific,! and! tip,!at!St.!Brandon’s!Island.!The!plateau!is! represent! a! second! hotspot! of! tropical! poorly! known,! but! shows! indications! of! marine!biodiversity!globally.!! unique! oceanographic! features! and! The!openXwater!food!webs!in!the!channel! habitats,! including! the! largest! seagrass! support! high! concentrations! of! fish,! beds!in!the!world,!species!endemism!and! turtles,! marine! mammals! and! seabirds! significant! aggregations! of! marine! that!are!critical!for!the!species!survival!and! mammals!and!seabirds.!! are!spectacular!natural!phenomena.!They! also! support! the! coastal! and! national! economic! activities! of! the! bordering! countries,!in!sectors!such!as!fisheries!and! tourism.! The! Mozambique! Channel! and! East!African!coast!are!the!prime!habitat!of! the! coelacanth,! a! ‘living! fossil’! that! exemplifies! the! longXterm! stability! of! this! region.!! Selected! sites! within! the! Mozambique! Channel! express! some! aspect! of! the! geological! and/or! oceanographic! features! that! make! the! channel! unique! globally,! combined! with! biological! features! best! represented!at!the!individual!sites:! 1. Quirimbas!X!Mtwara! 2. Northern!Madagascar! 3. The!Comoro!Archipelago! ! 4. The!Iles!Éparses!(Scattered!Islands)! ! 5. Tofo!–!Bazaruto,!Mozambique! % 6. Madagascar!Plateau!(the!Deep!South)! % % % % Between! them,! these! regions! host! the! most!important!and!largest!populations!of! vulnerable! species! such! as! sharks! and! large! reef! fish,! and! the! largest! aggregations!of!migratory!species!such!as! whalesharks,!marine!turtles,!seabirds!and! mammals,!in!the!Western!Indian!Ocean.!! The! results! here! are! a! guide! for! future! work,!and!should!be!considered!indicative,! as!further!work!may!bring!to!light!features! ! of! potential! OUV! in! other! sites! in! the! region.!
Page%2% Policy'Relevance'of'the'Findings'
Trans@boundary%protection! Biologically! Significant! Areas,! EBSAs)! and! Importantly!for!the!region,!and!potentially! the! United! Nations! Law! of! the! Sea! offer! foretelling! the! future! of! marine! World! avenues! for! multiXcountry! cooperation! Heritage,!the!two!primary!areas!identified! and! new! approaches! to! High! Seas! here! show! the! opportunity! for! interX governance.!! governmental! cooperation! and! set! a! An! ecosystem! approach! can! considerably! precedent!toward!a!more!comprehensive! enhance! future! conservation! of! approach! when! identifying! potential! new! exceptional!marine!features!on!the!World! marine! sites.! Contrary! to! the! traditional! Heritage! list! because! this! approach! is! countryXbyXcountry! approach,! marine! more! meaningful! from! an! environmental! World! Heritage! requires! reflection! of! perspective.!! features! at! larger! scales! meaningful! from! ! an!ecosystem!perspective.!! Serial%and%trans@boundary%sites% State! Parties! with! jurisdiction! over! these! To!cope!with!new!and!larger!sites,!World! sites! could! consider! innovative! interX Heritage!has!established!new!categories!of! governmental! approaches! to! establish! sites!X!“serial”!and!“transboundary”.! multiXcountry! ‘serial! sites”! for! World! A! serial' site! consists! of! two! or! more! Heritage!protection.! geographically!separate!areas!that!belong! The! Mozambique' Channel! is! fully! to! the! same! geological! or! biogeographic! contained! in! the! Exclusive! Economic! province,! or! may! be! linked! directly! by! Zones! (EEZs)! of! 5! countries! that! are! ocean!currents.!For!serial!site!designation,! States! Parties! to! the! World! Heritage! the! entire! series! of! sites! is! required! to! Convention:!Mozambique,!Madagascar,! meet!the!criteria!of!OUV,!and!none!of!the! Comoros,!Tanzania!and!France.! individual! components! would! meet! the! The!Mascarene'Plateau!is!more!complex! criteria!of!OUV!on!their!own.! X! Mauritius! and! the! Seychelles! have! A! transboundary' site! may! occur! where! individual! or! joint! jurisdiction! over! the! the! features! of! a! site! span! international! entire! seabed! of! the! plateau,! while! the! boundaries.! waters!over!the!Saya!de!Malha!Bank!are! In!both!cases,!the!site!is!listed!as!a!single! beyond! national! jurisdiction! and! in! the! property!on!the!World!Heritage!List.!! High!Seas.!! In! the! example! for! the! Mozambique! For!both!sites!identified!here,!the!Nairobi' Channel!presented!here,!if!all!six!locations! Convention! (for% the% Protection,% are! nominated! as! a! single! integrated! Management% and% Development% of% the% cluster,!they!would!be!assessed!as!a!single! Marine% and% Coastal% Environment% of% the% serial!transboundary!World!Heritage!site.! Eastern% African% Region)! is! the! prime! vehicle!for!intergovernmental!cooperation! Other! models! include! cooperation! in! marine! environmental! affairs,! and! all! between!World!heritage!Sites,!such!as:! countries!in!the!region!are!party!to!both!it! a) Sister! site! cooperation! between!two! and!the!World!Heritage!Conventions.!Visit! World! Heritage! marine! sites! in! the! the!Nairobi!Convention!website!at:! Pacific:! Papahanaumokuakea! (USA)! http://www.unep.org/NairobiConvention/! and! Phoenix! Islands! Protected! Area! !Further,!the!islands!are!signatories!to!the! (Kiribati);! Indian' Ocean' Commission! (visit! the! IOC! b) a! Regional! World! Heritage! marine! website!at:!http://www.coiXioc.org),!and!a! network!in!the!Eastern!Tropical!Pacific! number!of!international!programmes!and! comprising! 4! sites! in! separate! organizations! support! the! goals! of! these! countries:! Galápagos! (Ecuador),! Cocos! intergovernmental! bodies,! for! marine! (Costa! Rica),! Coiba! (Panama)! and! conservation! and! management! in! the! Malpelo!(Colombia).! WIO.!! An!example!of!a!serial!transboundary!site! For!the!Saya!de!Malha!bank,!whose!waters! is! the! Wadden! Sea! World! Heritage! Site,!! are! in! the! High! Seas! and! beyond! the! comprising!several!separate!pieces!in!The! jurisdiction! of! individual! countries,! Netherlands!and!Germany!(map!at!right).! initiatives! under! the! Convention! on! Biological! Diversity! (Ecologically! and!
Page%3% Existing'marine'World' Heritage'sites'in'the' Background'Information'on'World'Heritage' Western'Indian'Ocean' !! Aldabra%Atoll%(Seychelles)%% The%Convention% Focused! guidance! for! marine! systems! is! ! The!Convention%Concerning%the%Protection% contained!in!the!following!reports:! of%the%World%Cultural%and%Natural%Heritage! ! The% Western%Indian%Ocean%study% formed! was!adopted!by!the!General!Conference!of! the! basis! for! this! brochure.! It! was! ! UNESCO! in! 1972.! The! primary! mission! of! commissioned! by! the! World! Heritage! ! the! Convention! is! to! identify! and! protect! Centre! with! the! support! of! the! Govt.! of! ! the! world's! natural! and! cultural! heritage! Flanders,! in! consultation! with! IUCN.! The! ! considered!to!be!of!"outstanding!universal! study! used! existing! data! and! information! Was! inscribed! on! the! World! value"!(OUV):!! to! identify! the! appropriate! bioXregional! Heritage!List!in!1982.!The!site! Outstanding%–!the!site!should!be!exceptional.!The! scale! at! which! to! apply! the! assessment,! is! an! outstanding! example! of! World!Heritage!Convention!sets!out!to!define!the! the! key! physical! and! biological! features! geography!of!the!superlative!–!the!most!outstanding! biological! evolution,! that! distinguish! the! region! compared! to! containing!superlative!natural! natural!and!cultural!places!on!Earth.% others!globally!and!the!sites!in!the!region! phenomena! and! the! only! Universal!X!The!scope!of!the!Convention!is!global%in! habitat! where! a! number! of! relation!to!the!significance!of!the!properties!to!be! that!exemplify!these!features!and!that!are! animals!of!OUV!can!survive! protected!as!well!as!its!importance!to!all!people!of! of! sufficient! integrity! and! scale! to! the!world.!Sites!cannot!be!considered!for!OUV!from! potentially! meet! the! criteria! of! OUV.! A! iSimangaliso% Wetland% Park,% only!a!national!or!regional!perspective.! consultative!meeting!with!over!40!experts! (South%Africa)% Value!X!implies!clearly!defining!the!worth!of!a! in! marine! science! and! conservation! was! ! property,!ranking!its!importance!based!on!clear!and! consistent!standards,!including!the!recognition!and! hosted! by! the! Govt.! of! Ile! de! la! Réunion,! ! assessment!of!its!integrity.! France,! in! February! 2012,! to! finalize! ! Criteria' –! specific! criteria! have! been! recommendations! of! the! report.! Full! ! established! against! which! a! site’s! values! reference! X! Obura! DO,! Church! JE,! Gabrié! C! ! need! to! be! assessed.! For! natural! World! (2012)! Assessing% Marine% World% Heritage% from% Heritage,! there! are! four! primary! criteria.! an%Ecosystem%Perspective:%The%Western%Indian% Was! inscribed! on! the! World! Ocean% World! Heritage! Centre,! United! Nations! Every! site! that! aspires! to! World! Heritage! Heritage! List! in! 1999! ! (then! Education,! Science! and! Cultural! Organization! status! must! comply! with! one! or! more! of! the!Greater!St!Lucia!Wetlands! (UNESCO)! 124! pp.! Obtain! the! report! at:! Park).! The! site! consists! of! 13! these!criteria!and:! whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/ contiguous! protected! areas! vii.!contain!superlative!natural%phenomena!or!areas! activityX13X23.pdf! comprising! the! largest! of! exceptional% natural% beauty! and! aesthetic! estuarine!system!in!Africa!and! importance;! IUCN% Thematic% report% on% marine% World% the! southernmost! extension! viii.! be! outstanding! examples! representing! major% Heritage! –! this! study! addresses! broader! of! coral! reefs! on! the! stages%of%Earth’s%history,!including!the!record!of!life,! questions! about! applying! the! World! continent.% significant! ongoing! geological% processes! in! the! Heritage! Convention! to! marine! development!of!landforms,!or!significant!geomorphic! ! or!physiographic!features;! environments! globally.! It! describes! and! For'further'information':'! ix.!be!outstanding!examples!representing!significant! clarifies! the! nomination! process! and! ! ongoing! ecological% and% biological% processes! in! the! World!Heritage!criteria!focusing!on!natural! World%Heritage%marine% evolution% and% development! of! terrestrial,! fresh! values! of! marine! sites.! Based! on! a! global! water,! coastal! and! marine! ecosystems! and! analysis,!the!report!also!identifies!marine! programme:! communities!of!plants!and!animals;! http://whcunescoorg/en/mari sites! that! may! meet! the! criteria! for! OUV! x.!Contain!the!most!important!and!significant!natural% neXprogramme! emphasizing! the! gaps! among! existing! habitats! for! in! situ! conservation% of% biological% Contact!:!Fanny!Douvere! diversity,! including! those! containing! threatened! marine! World! Heritage! sites! in! terms! of! [email protected]! species!of!OUV!from!the!point!of!view!of!science!or! biogeography,!habitat!and!region!X!Abdulla! ! conservation.! A,!Obura!DO,!Berstky!B!(to!be!released!in!2013)! IUCN%World%Heritage%office:% How%are%World%Heritage%sites%selected?% Marine%World%Heritage%Thematic%Study.!IUCN% http://www.iucn.org/worldhe Only! countries! that! are! States! Parties! to! ritage/! Biogeographic% aspects% of% marine% World% the!convention!can!nominate!sites!to!the! ! Heritage! –! this! study! presents! an! initial! World! Heritage! List.! The! International! stockXtake! using! current! biogeographic! Western'Indian'Ocean'project' Union! for! the! Conservation! of! Nature! classifications! of! the! marine! environment! http://www.vliz.be/projects/ (IUCN)! is! the! official! advisory! body! that! marineworldheritage/indiano to!help!build!a!more!representative!World! evaluates!a!site!nomination!on!its!natural! cean.php! Heritage! List! –! Spalding! M! (2012)! Marine! OUV.! The! final! decision! is! taken! by! the! World! Heritage:! Toward! a! representative,! ! World! Heritage! Committee! during! its! Contact:!David!Obura! balanced! and! credible! World! Heritage! List.! CORDIO!East!Africa,!P.O.BOX! annual! meetings,! which! are! traditionally! World!Heritage!Centre.!UNESCO,!Paris.!Obtain! 10135!Mombasa,!Kenya.!! held! in! JuneXJuly.! Multiple! resources! are! the! report! at:! http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/! [email protected],! available!to!guide!the!nomination!process.!! activities/documents/activityX13X24.pdf! [email protected]! This!brochure!was!produced!as!an!information!document!for!the!Ad!Hoc!Technical!meetings!of!the!Nairobi!Convention!and! WIO!Consortium!of!NGOs,!August!2012,!Maputo,!Mozambique.!It!will!be!updated!based!on!feedback!during!those!meetings.!
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