The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been instrumental in developing a new framework for coastal and marine water quality management for countries of the West Indian Ocean (WIO) region and has now also trained countries on its implementation.

Pollution from land-based sources is a major threat to the coastal and marine ecosystems of the WIO region and the ecosystem services they provide to coastal communities and economies, such as supporting tourism and fisheries. Implementing sound management practices can help mitigate this threat and ensure that water quality remains suitable to support associated socioeconomic benefits. However, the necessary tools and capabilities to achieve this have been lacking in many countries in the WIO region.

Over the past three years, the CSIR’s Coastal Systems and Earth Observation research group, in partnership with the Nairobi Convention Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and regional stakeholders, developed a strategic framework for coastal and marine water quality management for the WIO region, including guidelines for setting water and sediment quality targets.

To facilitate the mainstreaming of this framework at the country level, the next phase of the project has kicked in, involving training and capacity development. Having secured additional funding from UNEP, the CSIR designed and facilitated a practical training programme focusing on the development and implementation of coastal and marine water quality management at national and local levels (at marine pollution hotspots), guided by the region’s strategic framework. Held at the CSIR in Durban from 4 to 8 March 2024, 27 participants from various countries in the region, including South Africa, Madagascar, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya and the Seychelles, attended the training. These participants were selected based on their active involvement in managerial and technical aspects of coastal and marine water quality management in their respective countries.

“The training workshop builds on our partnership with UNEP’s Nairobi Convention Secretariat to develop regional coastal and marine water quality management tools and best practice guidance in the region. We are now assisting with capacity development and training at the country level, ensuring that these regional tools and best practices are ultimately adopted and implemented nationally to manage pollution sources better and improve marine water quality in the West Indian Ocean,” explains Steven Weerts, who manages the CSIR’s research in coastal systems and earth observation.

The development of the course material drew on over 50 years of related expertise in the research group, spanning policy support to integrated coastal management through to the provision of technical monitoring and evaluation services to coastal authorities and marine outfall operators. CSIR principal researcher, Dr Susan Taljaard, designed the overall structure of the training course. “The practical course had two main components, the first providing guidance on the establishment of national coastal and marine water quality management frameworks and institutional structures, followed by a hands-on practical component on local planning, including the design of site-specific monitoring programmes,” she explains.

Feedback received from participants was overwhelmingly positive, and the course was a resounding success. The practical learning equipped participating countries with the necessary skills and know-how to proceed with the development of their national frameworks and plans. In a follow-up workshop held in April 2024, all participating countries provided feedback demonstrating significant progress towards achieving this goal, all in the cause of improving coastal and marine water quality and the associated benefits provided to the WIO region’s coastal community’s livelihoods and economies.