The RECOS (Resilience of Coastal Ecosystems of the South-West Indian Ocean) project is implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), with funding from the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM). The project aims to enhance the resilience of coastal ecosystems and dependent communities to climate change by restoring critical ecosystem services. Under Component 2, which focuses on strengthening regional scientific cooperation, the project supports networks of scientists, practitioners, and managers working on coastal ecosystem restoration and monitoring. Within this framework, Group 2 comprising experts from the Western Indian Ocean Mangrove Network (WIOMN) and the Western Indian Ocean Seagrass Network (WIOSN) focuses on the management of key habitats such as mangroves and seagrasses. RECOS is engaging WIOMN to develop a standardized mangrove monitoring and assessment protocol for the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. This work builds on an existing draft manual developed from previous initiatives in Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya, including efforts supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Program (SWAMP), with technical support from the United States Forest Service (USFS). The current initiative seeks to update and expand this manual to include broader regional representation, particularly from IOC member states.
The main objective of this project is to develop a standardized regional protocol for mangrove monitoring and assessment in the Western Indian Ocean region. To achieve this, the project focuses on strengthening capacity among mangrove managers and practitioners through the development of training materials, workshops, and knowledge exchange initiatives. It also aims to provide technical support to coastal and marine protected area managers in IOC member states particularly Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles to generate and analyze data and case studies for inclusion in the protocol. In addition, the project seeks to review, validate, and harmonize data and information from RECOS pilot sites and integrate them into the existing draft manual. The final objective is to complete, publish, and disseminate the manual, while promoting its adoption through regional platforms such as WIOMN and Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) meetings. The project also aims to support the development of policy recommendations and best practices to strengthen mangrove monitoring, conservation, and management across the region.
The project is currently in the implementation phase, with WIOMN having established a team of regional mangrove experts to carry out the assignment in line with the Terms of Reference. Initial efforts have focused on reviewing the existing draft manual, which compiles knowledge from previous regional initiatives, and preparing for its update and expansion. Ongoing activities include capacity-building planning, stakeholder engagement, and coordination with RECOS pilot sites to collect and validate case study data. The next steps involve harmonizing inputs from participating countries, integrating them into the draft protocol, and progressing toward finalization, publication, and dissemination of the manual. This process will ensure the development of a robust, regionally inclusive tool to guide mangrove monitoring and assessment in the Western Indian Ocean.