INTERNATIONAL WATERS LEARNING EXCHANGE & RESOURCE NETWORK

IW:LEARN

Highlights

LME23 Paris, France
24 Jan 2024 by m-duque@unesco.org
The 23rd Annual Large Marine Ecosystems (LME23) Consultative Meeting. UNESCO HQ, Paris, France.
Non-indigenous species expansion: Challenges and opportunities 
22 Feb 2024 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Like many small-scale fishers, Mohammed Barkah often takes photos and videos of the day’s catch off his native Libyan coast. “Have you ever seen this fish?” he asked a small knot of m...
Fishing for sustainability
28 Nov 2023 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The Arafura and Timor Seas. The Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem (LME). Coastal fishing communities in Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru and Senegal. These ar...
2023 IMO Biofouling Guidelines
31 Oct 2023 by khristine@iwlearn.org
(Updated: 24 Oct 2023) The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been at the forefront of the international efforts to address adverse impact of invasive alien species, by tak...
ATSEA-2 hosts 4th International Conference on ICMMBT, launches key publications
05 Oct 2023 by khristine@iwlearn.org
The promotion of sustainable blue economies and contribution to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the center of the 4th International Conference on Integrated...
LME22: Sailing the world’s oceans in three days
03 Oct 2023 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
A warm, summer Parisian weather welcomed the participants of the 22nd Annual Consultative Meeting on Large Marine Ecosystems and Coastal Partners (LME22) on 11 July 2023. Everyone was...
Dr. Kenneth Sherman, co-founder of the LME concept, receives IOC/UNESCO's prestigious N.K. Panikkar Memorial Medal
24 Sep 2023 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Dr. Kenneth Sherman received the N.K. Panikkar Memorial Medal, following his invited lecture on Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) delivered on 23 June 2023 at the 32nd Session of the Inte...
A fighting chance for the ocean: All hands on deck
30 Jun 2023 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The United Nations (UN) adopted the historic ‘High Seas Treaty’ on the protection and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction or about two-thirds ...
Collaboration key to nurturing the resilience of the oceans we share
07 Jun 2023 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
In the spirit of World Ocean Day 2023 on 8 June, we should take a moment to consider the work that needs to be done. From marine pollution and climate change to unsustainable practice...
Sargassum: Golden rainforest or nuisance?
07 Jun 2023 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Sargassum has garnered a lot of bad press lately – CBS news reported that a 13.5 million metric ton blob of seaweed was set to wash up this summer on the west coast of Florida.These c...
Regional cooperation is reducing illegal, unreported and unregulated tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
16 Dec 2021 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a global criminal activity resulting in direct loss of income for coastal states, negative impacts for fish populations and their ...
Large Marine Ecosystem Results Supporting Ocean Sustainability
21 Apr 2021 by natalie@iwlearn.org
An Online Launch Event for the LME Definitive Volume
2nd Ocean Innovation Challenge: Sustainable Fisheries
09 Apr 2021 by khristine@iwlearn.org
The application deadline is on 9 May 2021. The Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) is a unique new mechanism that has been designed to accelerate progress on SDG14 by identifying, financ...
Establishing the Kolepom Island Marine Protected Area (MPA)
08 Mar 2021 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
After five years of a complex and lengthy process, the Papua Provincial Government finally established Kolepom Island Marine Protected Area (MPA) on September 26, 2020. Kolepom Island...
5 pillars of a new ocean agenda
04 Jan 2021 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
2020 was supposed to be a super year for the ocean.A packed calendar of international events should have presented opportunities to assess progress towards Sustainable Development Goa...
Supporting managers and decision makers in Ocean Governance and Marine Spatial Planning
26 Dec 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Ocean governance is one of the most critical areas to improve sustainable development of marine resources and services. Complimentary to this, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is a signi...
Oceans stress and sustainability
24 Dec 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
For most of the past half century, our oceans have been stressed by overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation, nutrient over-enrichment, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Ocean...
Linking LMEs to local science and management for Sustainable Development: A summary of the four-part Global Ocean Series
24 Dec 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Better understanding of the ocean is essential for the sustainable development of ocean resources. As the ocean community looks towards the United Nation’s Decade of Ocean Science for...
Teamwork matters in marine protected area (MPA) management: The Aru Tenggara experience
23 Dec 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Aru Tenggara Marine Protected Area (MPA) is one of the regions in the Arafura Sea where efforts are made to protect the ecosystem and species. Although uninhabited, this entire 114,00...
Addressing biofouling in the seas of East Asia
23 Dec 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Biofouling, the attachment of living organisms to artificial surfaces, is a seemingly innocuous process that nonetheless threatens the health of the world’s oceans. The organisms can ...
What are Caribbean ecosystems worth? IWEco provides training in Economic Valuation
23 Dec 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) co-implemented, Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Man...
Large Marine Ecosystems Sustainable Oceans Portfolio
22 Dec 2020 by mish@iwlearn.org
The Portfolio brings together examples of best natural science and social science practices for assessing and managing the world’s Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs). It is available to t...
LME Definitive Volume - Index Page
07 Dec 2020 by mish@iwlearn.org
Index page to all the articles in "Ocean Sustainability: Assessing and Managing the World’s Large Marine Ecosystems", the LME Definitive Volume. SCOPE volume number 73.Published with ...
The GEF IW Project Management and TDA-SAP Online Courses are here!
06 Nov 2020 by khristine@iwlearn.org
We are very happy to announce that we have developed and launched two new, self-paced online courses for project managers in the GEF IW Community and their teams, which are hosted on ...
Biliana Cicin-Sain, world leader in coastal and ocean governance
26 Oct 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) mourns the loss of a true ocean champion, Biliana Cicin-Sain. Biliana, who founded and led the Global Ocean Forum, was actively engaged in multip...
Engaging the private sector in protecting the Western Indian Ocean with a new approach
26 Oct 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Private sector enterprises are some of the main users of the ocean. From local tourist operators and fishers selling their products on the side of the road all the way to multinationa...
Let it flow: Improving water quantity and quality in Tanzania’s Rufiji river basin
26 Oct 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Water, essential to all life, plays a particularly important role in the lives of Tanzanians residing near the Mbarali River, part of the larger Rufiji River basin. Here, farmers use ...
New hope for Karey Village and Aru Tenggara marine protected area
26 Oct 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The Indonesian village of Karey may not be located in the Aru Tenggara (or Southeast Aru) Marine Protected Area (MPA), but their petuanan (or territories where customary communities c...
Managing the short mackerel fisheries in a transboundary setting
26 Oct 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The short mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma), also known as Indo-Pacific Mackerel, is among the most economically important small pelagic fishes, contributing to approximately 38% of ...
Staunching the flow: St. Kitts and Nevis’ fight to keep its soil
07 Sep 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
When you are a small island nation, every inch of space counts. But from rising sea levels to natural disasters and coastal erosion, in the age of climate change many islands are shri...
Milestone decision on ocean governance for the wider Caribbean
07 Sep 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The Steering Committee of the UNDP/GEF CLME+ Project, chaired by the Government of Panama, convened virtually from 16-18 June 2020. 105 delegates representing 22 countries and 14 inte...
Another step forward on knowledge sharing for the seas of East Asia
07 Sep 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that ai...
Nearly a fifth of world’s ocean floor now mapped
07 Sep 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Coverage of the seabed has risen from 15 per cent to 19 per cent in the last year. When Seabed 2030 was launched in 2017, only six per cent of the oceans had been mapped to modern sta...
GEF LME:LEARN Policy briefs on ten Large Marine Ecosystem issues
21 Jul 2020 by khristine@iwlearn.org
The following policy briefs offer a concise summary addressing ten specific Large Marine Ecosystem issues, the policy options to deal with them and recommendations on the best option ...
Gearing up for the next decade of healthy oceans
14 Jul 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), an intergovernmental organization operating in East Asia to foster and sustain healthy and resilient ocean...
Restoring Yellow Sea’s ecosystem through marine litter management, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), and wetland protection
14 Jul 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Oceans and seas contribute approximately $3-6 trillion annually to the global economy in terms of the market value of goods and services including fisheries, energy, shipping, tourism...
Global Ocean Series: Linking LMEs to Local Science and Management for Sustainable Development
28 Jun 2020 by khristine@iwlearn.org
These four webinars, taking place on 20 May / 10 June / 11 June/ 26 June, will explore the question of how scaling between local management and large marine ecosystems (LMEs) connects...
Moving towards a collaborative management of the Arafura and Timor Seas
07 Jun 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Through the challenges that we are facing together as a global community in 2020, the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Phase II programme (ATSEA-2) has steadily been strengthen...
Changing attitudes to spark restoration of Blue Swimming Crabs in Thailand
07 Jun 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand contributes to high fisheries production making many countries in the region among the top ten highest producers of fish in the world. It shou...
The CLME+ Hub and the wider Caribbean
07 Jun 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
As we commemorate World Oceans Day, the Secretariat of the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+) Interim Coordination Mechanism (ICM) is pleased to be able ...
Benguela Current Convention Celebrates World Oceans Day
07 Jun 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
This news release was originally published on the Benguela Current Convention website.
Championing resilient oceans for prosperity
07 Jun 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The world’s ocean offers great potential for economic growth and development, improved livelihoods and jobs, and closing the gap on poverty and unemployment rates. Of note is the pecu...
In Djirnda people are desperate to go back to fishing
07 Jun 2020 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Djirnda, Senegal, 30 May 2020 – Elhadj Issakha Sarr is sounding the alarm. So far, says this 52-year old fisherman and trader, the people of Djirnda have managed to cope. “Now,” he ad...
Chlorophyll animations for 62 LMEs (September 1997 to June 2012)
01 May 2020 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Phytoplankton chlorophyll time-series animations (movies) were constructed for 62 large marine ecosystems (LMEs) for the 15-year period from September 1997 to June 2012 using NASA oce...
The Ocean Finance Handbook - Increasing finance for a healthy ocean
30 Apr 2020 by khristine@iwlearn.org
The "Ocean Finance Handbook" has been developed for Friends of Ocean Action as part of the wider effort to transition towards a sustainable blue economy. The Handbook seeks to provide...
Regional Network Newsletters 2020
23 Jan 2020 by natalie@iwlearn.org
The 3rd edition of the Regional Network Newsletters have been released
Do you have an innovative idea on ocean and coastal restoration and protection?
23 Jan 2020 by khristine@iwlearn.org
If your answer is yes, then don't miss the opportunity to submit your proposal to UNDP's "Ocean Innovation Challenge" and get the chance to receive a grant ranging from 50,000 USD to ...
Regional Network News
20 Jan 2020 by natalie@iwlearn.org
The 3rd edition of the GEF LME:LEARN Regional Network Newsletters are now available
Data and Information Management Workshop for LMEs of Asia
03 Dec 2019 by natalie@iwlearn.org
A Regional Workshop on Data and Information Management was jointly organized by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and the GEF Large Marine Ec...
GEF announces new investment in Central America's blue economy
07 Nov 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
At the "Our Ocean" conference in Oslo, the head of the Global Environment Facility announced a $6.8 million contribution from the GEF Trust Fund to help seven countries across Central...
New study shows rising sea levels to submerge more coastal cities than previously projected; threat posed is more than environmental
02 Nov 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
As cited in the New York Times article (published 10/29/209), the research, recently produced by Climate Central, a science organization based in New Jersey, and published in the jour...
GEF LME:LEARNing at the Marine Regions Forum 2019
16 Oct 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
A special session was organized by the GEF LME:LEARN on 1 October 2019 during the MRF 2019 in Berlin. Entitled “Advancing implementation of the ocean SDG through ecosystem-based manag...
The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans
15 Oct 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Recently published book “The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans” by David Abulafia traces the history of human movement and interaction around and across the world's greates...
Ocean Yearbook Call for Papers and Student Prize
04 Oct 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Articles on issues and prospects, ocean governance, living resources of the ocean, non-living ocean resources, transportation and communications, environment and coastal management, m...
GEF LME:LEARN session at the Marine Regions Forum: “Advancing implementation of the ocean SDG through ecosystem-based management”
30 Sep 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Today marks the opening of the first Marine Regions Forum, gathering various international, regional and national stakeholders from around the globe in Berlin until 02 October 2019, t...
CALL FOR APPLICATION: ZMT/IOI Winter School on "Ocean Governance for Sustainable Marine Ecosystems"
26 Sep 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Open to applications from European and other international early-career scientists in the field of marine research. Scholarships for African and South American applicants are also ava...
Needed: an ecosystem of partners to support ocean health
01 Aug 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Global co-operation, with businesses playing a critical role, is needed to transform the seafood industry -- It is estimated that approximately three billion people around the world r...
GEF LME:LEARN launches online courses on Ocean Governance, and Transboundary Marine Spatial Planning & Sustainable Blue Economy
24 Jul 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
The online course contents and materials are now open to all interested participants, with no time limit to complete the modules. Each course is rich with compulsory readings, supplem...
YSLME gears up for the 3rd Science Conference
28 Jun 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
This year’s biggest gathering of stakeholders in support of Yellow Sea conservation will take place during the 3rd YSLME Science Conference and related events to be convened at Shangr...
Convening data and information managers to support LME governance
28 Jun 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Data and information are crucial factors to the policy cycle in international waters. They foster a better understanding and awareness of environmental issues, aid policy development ...
Convening data and information managers to support LME governance
28 Jun 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Data and information are crucial factors to the policy cycle in international waters. They foster a better understanding and awareness of environmental issues, aid policy development ...
Large Marine Ecosystems Approach: An Essential Management and Partnership Tool for Achieving SDG14 and Supporting the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development: A Side Event
27 Jun 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
A Side Event for the 30th Session of the IOC Assembly, this event aims to raise awareness among IOC Member States on the opportunities that Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) partnerships o...
More engaged stakeholders to bring back ocean health reality
04 Jun 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
Recent data from the Ocean Health Index (OHI), a comprehensive assessment of the world’s oceans took notice of high sea surface temperatures or areas that can fuel storms and hurrican...
"Responding to Rising Seas" - OECD Country Approaches to Tackling Coastal Risks
08 Apr 2019 by khristine@iwlearn.org
There is an urgent need to ensure that coastal areas are adapting to the impacts of climate change. Risks in these areas are projected to increase because of rising sea levels and dev...
2nd Annual Asia-Pacific Regional Network Meeting and Training Event
18 Feb 2019 by natalie@iwlearn.org
The Strengthening Global Governance of Large Marine Ecosystems and Their Coasts through Enhanced Sharing and Application of LME/ICM/MPA Knowledge and Information Tools or LME:LEARN pr...
New resource: Marine Toolkits
31 Jan 2019 by eve@iwlearn.org
GEF LME:LEARN has released 5 toolkits in support of Large Marine Ecosystem management
Large Marine Ecosystems Approach: An Essential Management and Partnership Tool for Realizing Blue Economy Opportunities
27 Nov 2018 by eve@iwlearn.org
A Side Event for the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference to raise awareness among participants on the opportunities Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) partnership model offers for helping c...
20th Annual LME Consultative Meeting - LME20
03 Nov 2018 by eve@iwlearn.org
The 20th Annual LME Consultative Meeting, organized by the GEF LME:LEARN Project, taking place from 3 to 4 November 2018 in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Large Marine Ecosystems: Assessment and Management
19 Jul 2018 by natalie@iwlearn.org
Our Massive Open Online Course on Large Marine Ecosystems Assessment and Management is here! The second round of the course starts 6 August 2018.
2nd Annual Africa Regional Network Meeting Dakar, Senegal (3-4 September 2018)
25 Jun 2018 by eve@iwlearn.org
The Strengthening Global Governance of Large Marine Ecosystems and Their Coasts through Enhanced Sharing and Application of LME/ICM/MPA Knowledge and Information Tools or LME:LEARN pr...
One Ocean
08 Jun 2018 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Today the global marine community rings the bell to celebrate the beauty of our ocean and to emphasize the dangers that threaten its health. The efforts to improve the state of our oc...
Asia-Pacific Connects: first Annual Asia-Pacific Regional Network Meeting
03 May 2018 by eve@iwlearn.org
This meeting, taking place at the Chatrium Hotel in Thailand, is organised by GEF LME:LEARN and the IOC of UNESCO Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC). The primary objecti...
Call for abstract: EMECS 12 - Deadline 31 May 2018
03 May 2018 by eve@iwlearn.org
EMECS12 steering committee and program committee cordially invite you all to participate in the 12th International Conference on the Environmental Management of the Enclosed Coastal S...
Asia-Pacific Connects: first Annual Asia-Pacific Regional Network Meeting
30 Apr 2018 by eve@iwlearn.org
This meeting is organised by GEF LME:LEARN and the IOC of UNESCO Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC). The primary objectives of the first Annual Asia-Pacific Regional Net...
US$4.1 Billion GEF-7 Replenishment Revealed
27 Apr 2018 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
On April 25, 2018, countries have collectively pledged US$4.1 billion for the seventh replenishment of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) trust fund. Close to 30 countries gather...
Stories from the South China Sea
19 Apr 2018 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The Sustainable Development Goals, officially known as “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, are a set of seventeen aspirational global goals with 169...
The East Asian Seas Congress
02 Mar 2018 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
With the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, and specifically Sustainable Development Goal 14 on Life Below Water, oceans have gained political, social, e...
The hazards of salt
01 Mar 2018 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
Côte d’Ivoire has the second longest coast in West Africa, offering 550 kilometers of rich and unique biodiversity which the country relies on for key ecosystem services. It is estima...
Propagating Hope for Caribbean Coral Reef Restoration
01 Mar 2018 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
The Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, through funding support from the GEF/UNDP Ridge to Reef Project continues to mak...
3rd Targeted Regional Workshop for GEF IW projects in east Europe and Asia-Pacific
01 Mar 2018 by eve@iwlearn.org
The 3rd Targeted Regional Workshop for Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters (IW) Projects in east Europe and Asia-Pacific will be jointly organized by the Internatio...
LME community receives vitamin Sea
20 Dec 2017 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
After 18 years inland, members of the Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) community met in large numbers in Cape Town, South Africa (29 November to 1 December 2017) to exchange views and ide...
Science: a universal language for ocean governance
19 Dec 2017 by IW:LEARN on Exposure
There is a universal language where laws, rules and phenomenon are the same everywhere, irrespective of any region, country, culture or society. This is the language of science and it...
The 19th Annual LME Consultative Meeting
29 Nov 2017 by eve@iwlearn.org
The 19th Annual LME Consultative Meeting, organized by the LME: LEARN Project, taking place from 29 November to 01 December 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Collaborating to save the global ocean
27 Nov 2017 by eve@iwlearn.org
Effectively managing the world’s oceans and safeguarding them for future generations is not achievable alone. Partnerships are now more important than ever to address the issues chall...
LAC Connects: 1st Annual Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regional Network Meeting
12 Oct 2017 by eve@iwlearn.org
The first Regional Network Meeting of Marine and Coastal Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will take place from 12-13 October in Montevideo, Uruguay and will be center...
Africa Connects: 1st Annual Africa Regional Network Meeting
02 Aug 2017 by eve@iwlearn.org
The 1st Annual Africa Regional Network Meeting will take place at the Zanzibar Ocean View Resort, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The meeting will be hosted by  the Institute of Marine Science, ...
Side Event: Large Marine Ecosystems Approach, An Essential Management and Partnership Tool for Achieving SDG14
06 Jun 2017 by eve@iwlearn.org
UN Ocean Conference Side Event. SDG 14 addresses a wide breadth of issues confronting oceans worldwide – unsustainable fisheries, habitat degradation, pollution and impacts of climate...
The Large Marine Ecosystem Approach: An Engine for Achieving SDG 14
05 Jun 2017 by eve@iwlearn.org
New brochure developed by LME:LEARN. The LME Approach has provided and will continue to provide, a unifying strategy for meeting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Launching YSLME Phase II Project
03 Mar 2017 by jarle@grida.no
The UNDP/GEF YSLME Phase II Project, will be launched on 27-29 March 2019 in Seoul, RO Korea. The launch events will be hosted by Ministry Oceans and Fisheries of RO Korea.
The 4th nexus Task Force
22 Nov 2016 by jarle@grida.no
Assessments of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus and response measures in transboundary basins: a global stock-taking workshop