Building a regional voice for community-led ocean conservation in the Western Indian Ocean

Photo Credit: Barkha Mossae

 Written by Audrey Masitsa and Edited by John Kabambala

For generations, the ocean has been far more than a vast expanse of water for the millions of people living along the shores of the Western Indian Ocean. It has been the heartbeat of coastal communities a source of food, income, culture, and identity. Every wave that reaches the shore carries the hopes of fishers who venture out before dawn, relying on the sea to provide for their families and sustain their way of life. Yet today, as climate change, overfishing, habitat degradation, and unsustainable coastal development place unprecedented pressure on marine ecosystems, one critical question emerges: Who will shape the future of the ocean the policymakers and financiers, or the communities whose lives are inseparable from it?

Across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), the answer is becoming increasingly clear. Coastal communities are demonstrating that the future of marine conservation cannot be secured through policies and funding alone; it must also be driven by the knowledge, commitment, and leadership of the people who depend on the ocean every day. For centuries, their lives have been deeply intertwined with the health of coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows ecosystems that not only support extraordinary biodiversity but also provide food security, livelihoods, and resilience for both people and nature. Today, these communities are proving that local stewardship is not simply a complement to conservation efforts; it is the foundation upon which a more sustainable and inclusive future for the Western Indian Ocean must be built.

Throughout their lives, thousands of fishers from Kenya to Comoros, Madagascar to Mozambique and Tanzania have lived a life of pushing their boats into the ocean for food, income, culture, and identity. The ocean has been their life and source of livelihood. But these communities are increasingly confronting a growing list of challenges. Climate change, overfishing, habitat degradation, pollution, and unsustainable coastal development are placing unprecedented pressure on marine ecosystems and the livelihoods they support. Across the region, coastal communities are witnessing declining fish stocks, changing weather patterns, coral bleaching, and rising uncertainty about the future.

Yet in the wake of all these challenges, a powerful story of resilience and local leadership has been unfolding for decades. “I come from a Kenyan fisherfolk family, and this upbringing shaped a deep respect for the ocean and its resources,” says Charles Nyale, Chair of the recently launched WIO Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Alliance. “I have witnessed first-hand the vital role that local people play in safeguarding our marine resources. Across the Western Indian Ocean, communities have long been at the forefront of managing coastal ecosystems, sustaining livelihoods, and passing on knowledge from one generation to the next.” Nyale’s words capture the renewed spirit of stewardship that has become the foundation of one of the region’s most important community-led conservation movements.

Mtu ni Yupi Blue Economy Entrepreneurship Group, Pemba Island, Tanzania. (Photo Credit: ReSea Project)

A region rich in marine wealth and the rise of community-led marine conservation.

You see, the Western Indian Ocean is home to some of the world's most valuable marine ecosystems. Its coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows support extraordinary biodiversity while ustaining more than 60 million people who depend on coastal and marine resources for food security, livelihoods, and cultural wellbeing. Fisheries, tourism, and other ocean-based sectors contribute significantly to national economies across the region. However, growing environmental pressures continue to threaten both ecosystems and communities. For those living along the coast, the consequences are immediate and personal. For Mohamed Hassani Mlatamou, President of the National LMMA Network in Comoros, the response has always begun at the community level. “For a long time, local communities have come together to form groups and associations to better manage our environment,” he says.

Through concerted efforts by the communities and with the support of various partners including the Global Affairs Canada through the ReSea Project and the JointNature Conservation Committee (JNCC), these local efforts have eventually evolved into a regional movement. Local communities’ traditional and culturally accepted approaches to managing marine resources have gradually evolved into what are now known as Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), with different names across countries. In Tanzania they are known as Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas, in Kenya, Beach Management Units and Joint Co-management Areas and Community Conservancies, while in Comoros they are Aires Marines Gérées Localement and Voluntary Marine Conservation Areas in Mauritius.

In Mozambique they are Community Managed Fishing Areas. At the core of all these initiatives is empowering local people to lead the management and conservation of marine resources, a powerful underlying philosophy that guarantees sustainability as Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy, Regional Coastal and Ocean Governance Manager and IPLC Champion at IUCN ESARO, explains. “LMMAs are marine areas managed by coastal communities. They place decision-making power in the hands of small-scale fishers and local communities, enabling them to manage, protect, and conserve the marine resources on which they depend.”

The success of modern LMMAs in the region, can be traced back to the Vezo community of Andavadoaka, a small fishing village in Southwest Madagascar. In 2004, this community established a temporary octopus’s closure in response to declining catches. The results were remarkable. Fish stocks recovered, livelihoods improved, and the initiative demonstrated that local stewardship could deliver tangible environmental and economic benefits. Collective and local action by this small community has inspired broader action that brought communities together as explained by Rakotondrazafy. “In 2012, the MIHARI Network in Madagascar was created because communities felt they were isolated and were interested in peer-to-peer learning and exchange. MIHARI was created to advocate for the rights of small-scale fisheries in Madagascar and also to build their leadership capacity and support legal recognition of LMMAs.”

From local successes to a regional vision.

What began as a local experiment would soon become a regional movement. Over the following two decades, community-led conservation initiatives spread throughout the Western Indian Ocean. Governments, conservation organisations, researchers, and development partners supported efforts to strengthen local stewardship, while national LMMA networks emerged to facilitate learning and collaboration.

As these initiatives grew, so too did the recognition that many of the challenges facing coastal

communities extended beyond national borders. Whether in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, or Comoros, communities were grappling with similar emergent concerns such as declining fisheries, habitat loss, climate change, and limited participation in decision-making processes. Through LMMAs these communities are exchanging valuable local knowledge and practical solutions that are rooted in their local realities and should form the basis of the future of ocean governance. “The communities have answers. Now is the time to involve them, not only in implementation but also in planning,” says Nyale. Climate action and marine development organisations and partners can now come in to great effect and build platforms that could connect practitioners, strengthen peer learning, amplify community voices, and advance locally led conservation across the Western Indian Ocean.

Building the Alliance: The journey toward a regional alliance accelerated in 2024 when national consultations were conducted in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Comoros. The consultations brought together community representatives, government agencies, conservation organisations, and other stakeholders to reflect on progress, identify challenges, and explore opportunities for greater collaboration. Participants of the Fiji Exchange Visit. While concerted efforts and discussions have continued, community representatives remained at the centre of every conversation. One particularly influential learning exchange took participants to Fiji, where they witnessed successful community-led conservation efforts firsthand. Through such community led initiatives and exchanges, noted Dr. Salim Hamza, Officer-in-Charge at the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries in Zanzibar, communities get to learn that the environment and its sustainability is more important for sustainable incomes.

Photo Credit: Audrey Masitsa for ReSea Project 

“A good example we see here is that a community benefits not because it makes money but because the environment that is conserved makes them benefit. It is not conservation that will make you earn money, but the environment that will enable you to benefit and generate that income.”

A new chapter begins: In February 2026 the Alliance took a significant step forward when its Temporary Steering Committee met in Nairobi to define strategic priorities and chart the path ahead. Four months later, that vision became reality as the WIO LMMA Alliance was officially launched in June 2026, during the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. Members of the WIO LMMA Alliance during a field visit to Kuruwitu, Kenya, Nyale notes that for many participants, the launch represents more than the creation of a new organization. It symbolizes years of collaboration, learning, and community leadership across the region. “The WIO LMMA Alliance provides a platform for learning, collaboration, and collective action. It strengthens our ability to share experiences, amplify community voices, and support effective stewardship of our marine and coastal resources.”

Nuru Salum, Regional Coordinator of the Mwambao Coastal Communities Network, further hailed the alliance saying that it provides a broader framework for communities to take ownership of projects and manage implementation independently. “This approach ensures that communities can leverage their knowledge, identify their priorities, and develop sustainable solutions that address their unique challenges.” Given the successes of community-led initiatives, participants at the conference called for greater legal recognition of community conservation efforts, stronger representation in decision-making spaces, long term investment in locally managed initiatives, and expanded livelihood opportunities for coastal communities, As the curtains come down on the conference, it is clear that the establishment of the WIO.

LMMA Alliance marks a defining moment in the evolution of community-led marine conservation across the Western Indian Ocean. For the millions who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, food security, and cultural identity, the Alliance represents not just a platform for collaboration, but a collective voice poised to shape the future of the region's oceans on their own terms. Learn more about the WIO LMMA Alliance here.

Read the Alliance’s call to action following the 11th Our Ocean Conference here. GlobalAffairs Canada / Affaires mondiales Canada, JNCC, WIO LMMA Alliance, Mission inclusion, IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa, Agence Française de Développement, BlueNature

Alliance, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Fonds français pour l'environnement mondial (FFEM), Fauna & Flora, Western Indian Ocean Marine Protected Areas Professional Network (WIOMPAN), Blue Ventures, Indian Ocean Commission. Indian Ocean Commission, WIOMSA - Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association

Members of the WIO LMMA Alliance during a field visit to Kuruwitu, Kenya Photo Credit: Fabiola Monty