Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2024-FULL - Flipbook - Page 50
Bertarelli Foundation
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Marine Protected Area
planning with Mauritius
Over the last year, the governments of the UK and
Mauritius have continued bilateral negotiations over
the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, which have
included plans for a new marine protected area. Data
generated by the Marine Science programme have been
shared with scientists from the Mauritius government to
inform the marine spatial planning process. In addition,
a workshop was organised by the Government of
Mauritius with support from the Zoological Society of
London, to build a collaborative research, conservation
and MPA management framework to guide biodiversity
conservation and management, including resettlement
options. A total of 33 international participants from 10
countries attended the workshop and comprised a broad
range of interdisciplinary scientists, MPA practitioners,
surveillance and enforcement experts, and sustainable
finance experts. These experts were complemented
by 47 local participants from a range of government
departments, the Chagossian community, NGOs and
academics, as well as an observer for the US government.
UN Decade Collaboration
Centre for the Indian Ocean
Region
The Marine Science programme continues to contribute
to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable
Development (2021 – 2030) as an endorsed Action. This
year, the Decade Collaborative Centre for Indian Ocean
Region was established, hosted by Indian National Centre
for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad,
India, with Heather Koldewey joining the Steering
Committee. The collaborative centre provides scientific
coordination and planning, identifying collaboration
opportunities, awareness raising, and stakeholder
engagement. Early in 2024, the Marine Science
programme participated in the ‘Indian Ocean Regional
Decade Conference 2024: Bridging Billions to Barcelona’,
which was held in Hyderabad as an official prelude to the
Ocean Decade conference (April 2024, Barcelona).
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