Protecting Knysna’s Seagrass: A Nature-Based Solution to Pollution

The SOMWAT project explores the vital role of seagrass meadows in improving coastal water quality, reducing pollution, and supporting resilient ecosystems such as coral reefs, sponge gardens, and mussel banks. These habitats not only safeguard biodiversity but also provide essential benefits for local communities through food security and tourism. By combining field research with collaboration among communities, NGOs, and local authorities, SOMWAT demonstrates how protecting seagrass meadows offers powerful nature-based solutions for cleaner waters and a sustainable blue economy.

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Healthy Seagrass, Healthy People

Latest / Sven Stöbener

Imagine working on an international project, conducting research, taking samples, analysing, discussing and arranging your findings and then writing a set of reports that end up on someone’s desk. And then they end up under the next report. And then the report after that. For Kyle Smith, a marine ecologist at the Scientific Services Division of South African National Parks (SANParks), this is the worst possible way for a project to end. Fortunately, the SOMWAT project is designed to have a more sustainable impact. To learn how science informs communities and management, Kyle shares his perspective as part of the MeerWissen project SOMWAT.

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CoastWise: Improving knowledge for land-sea interface management in South Africa

Uncategorized / Stephen Iwanowsky

In South Africa, terrestrial and marine assessment and planning have traditionally been separate exercises, forming different communities of research and management. Although there is growing understanding that planning must take account of both land and the sea, the multiple and diverse land-sea interactions are still poorly understood by researchers as well as stakeholder communities and

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Penguins: African Penguins and the Blue Economy

Uncategorized / Stephen Iwanowsky

African penguins are vital components of the coastal biodiversity, serving as bioindicators of ecosystem health and making significant contributions to the Blue Economy. Despite their importance, their population has declined by over 95% in the last 100 years, primarily due to a combination of human local stressors and the effects of climate change. Some predictions

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Marine Protected Areas and Other Effective Conservation Measures

Uncategorized / Stephen Iwanowsky

Taking stock and looking ahead

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SOMWAT: Mitigating Watershed Pollution by Coastal Seagrass Meadows

Latest / Stephen Iwanowsky

Coastal habitats such as seagrass meadows, coral and sponge reefs, and mussel banks provide numerous livelihood benefits for local populations. Their ability to act as filters that improve coastal water quality is often underappreciated but represents an important ecosystem service that affects “blue” economic developments. In this context, SOMWAT especially looks at the socio-ecological role

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Improving Ocean Governance through informal networks

Uncategorized / Stephen Iwanowsky

For this episode, we move back to the eastern shores of Africa, where we virtually had a lovely chat with Dr. Shannon Hampton of the International Ocean Institute (IOI) in South Africa. In her role as the programme manager at IOI she is also co-coordinating the Western Indian Ocean Governance Exchange Network (WIOGEN). Ocean governance

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MANCOGA Mangroves as Nature-based Solutions to Coastal Hazards in Eastern Ghana

ORIENTATE Oceanographic and Ecological data for Nature-based coastal protection in Tunisia

PAMO Participatory modeling for Nature-based Solutions in the Western Indian Ocean region

SOMWAT Nature-based solution for mitigating Watershed Pollution by Coastal Seagrass Meadows

South Africa

Protecting Knysna’s Seagrass: A Nature-Based Solution to Pollution

Healthy Seagrass, Healthy People

CoastWise: Improving knowledge for land-sea interface management in South Africa

Penguins: African Penguins and the Blue Economy

Marine Protected Areas and Other Effective Conservation Measures

SOMWAT: Mitigating Watershed Pollution by Coastal Seagrass Meadows

Improving Ocean Governance through informal networks