Kenya

June 25 2008
Guardian: Wildlife and livelihoods at risk in Kenyan wetlands biofuel project

The Tana delta, which lies 120 miles north of the coastal city of Mombasa and drains Kenya's longest river, is a mix of savannah, mangrove swamps, forest and beaches. Kenya has approved a controversial biofuel project that environmentalists say could destroy some of the country's most pristine wetlands. More than 80 sq miles of the Tana river delta is scheduled to become a sugar cane plantation, with much of the crop turned into ethanol in a purpose-built factory. The area is home to lions, hippos, reptiles, primates, rare sharks and 345 bird species, and sustains thousands of farmers and fishermen whose protests have been largely ignored, according to campaigners.

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Kenya

June 24 2008
Sh150m Villa Project Put on Hold Again Over Pollution Claim

The building of the Sh150 million Blue Lagoon Villas in Watamu has again been stopped by the National Environment Tribunal. The tribunal, in an order dated June 18, told Blazer Watamu Limited, the company putting up the six exclusive private villas on Watamu's Blue Lagoon, to stop further construction until an appeal made by some residents was heard and determined.The project has been stopped and restarted several times in the last two years after the firm was accused of polluting the environment.

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Madagascar

January 17 2008
A species of self-destructing palm trees that flower once every 100 years and then die has been discovered on Madagascar, botanists said. The name of the giant palm and its remarkable life cycle is to be detailed in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. The self-destructing palm tree found on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, flowers once every 100 years and then dies. “It’s spectacular,” said Mijoro Rakotoarinivo of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Madagascar. More...

Tanzania

January 23 2008
THE Danish government has provided resources to Worldwide Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Tanzania office to be used in a 4-year community involvement and sustainable development of ocean resources project in Mnazi Bay Park in Mtwara Rural District, Mtwara Region. More...

The Nairobi Convention Clearinghouse and Information Sharing System Newsletter for the period September - December 2007. The four-monthly e-newsletter of the Nairobi Convention Clearinghouse and Information Sharing system aims at informing stakeholders, national working groups, partners and all interested persons on the status of the clearinghouse activities.
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Highlights of three years of WIO-LaB Project Implementation at the Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi Convention, Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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A Framework for the Development of a Strategic Action Programme for the Western Indian Ocean Region at the Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi Convention, Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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Draft Land Based Sources and Activities (LBSA) Protocol: Process Towards Adoption and Ratification, at the Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi Convention, Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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The Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems at the Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi Convention, Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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The Western Indian Ocean – Marine Turtle Task Force IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU / Nairobi Convention at the Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi Convention, Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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The “Consortium for Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in Western Indian Ocean”, (WIO-C) is a joint initiative by IUCN, WWF, WIOMSA, CORDIO, WCS, UNEP-Nairobi Convention, IOC-Indian Ocean Commission, NEPAD and IOCUNESCO, aimed at developing synergistic partnerships that will advance marine research, conservation and management in the Western Indian Ocean region.
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Speech of the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to the Joint Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi Convention, Joint COP 8/ 5 Meeting. Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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Speech by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, Comoros, during the launch of the Nairobi Convention Clearinghouse and Information Sharing System at the Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan Convention and the Nairobi Convention, Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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Speech by Proffessor James Ole Kiyapi, head of the Kenyan delegation and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources during the launch of the Regional Environment Assessment Guidelines at the Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Abidjan and the Nairobi Convention, Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 – 8 November 2007
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