Regional Synthesis Report on the Status of Pollution in the Western Indian Ocean Region

The project “Addressing land-based activities in the Western Indian Ocean” (WIO-LaB) is an initiative of the Nairobi Convention designed to address environmental problems and issues related to the degradation of the marine and coastal environment due to land-based activities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. The project represents a partnership amongst eight participating countries (Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania), UNEP, the Government of Norway and the Global Environment Facility (GEF)The focus of this report is on land-based sources of marine pollution, typically addressed under the UNEP Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) and the Nairobi Convention. It does not deal with sea-based sources of marine pollution (e.g. maritime transportation and offshore dumping of waste), which are typically dealt with under other international conventions.