Strategic Action Plan for Land-Based Sources and Activities Affecting the Marine, Coastal and Associated Fresh Water Environment in the Eastern African Region

This document sets a Strategic Action Plan for the Western Indian Ocean Islands and Eastern Africa, built on national assessments of land-based sources that degrade marine, coastal, and associated freshwater systems. It identifies domestic sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff and sediments, solid wastes, saline intrusion, and habitat modification as priority pressures affecting reefs, mangroves, seagrasses, fisheries, and public health. It traces underlying constraints to weak legal and institutional coordination, poor enforcement, and limited capacity. The response is organized into seven themes: priority source control; integrated river-basin and groundwater management; legal and institutional reform; capacity building; monitoring and assessment; education and participation; and integrated coastal policy guidelines. Implementation is assigned to a Regional Coordinating Unit, supported by regional activity centers and a small core team to develop project proposals across the seven themes.