Parc Marin de Mohéli (Mohéli Marine Park)
Between 1998 and 2005, the Comoros island of Mohéli was the setting for an initiative that brought together international organizations and local communities in creating a co-managed marine protected area. The idea was to conserve 404 square kilometres of ocean, home to key marine species such as the coelacanth, humpback whales, dugong, and dolphins, while benefiting local livelihoods through ecotourism.
The result, the Mohéli Marine Park, is an ongoing experiment in setting the right conditions for co-managed marine management. Benefit-sharing arrangements and enforcement of harvesting regulations are key issues that have affected the success of the initiative in recent years; early results in increasing live coral cover on the park's reefs and increases in tourism numbers, however, indicate that the park may yet be able to deliver on its promise.
Key Facts
Equator Prize Winner: 2002
Founded: 1995
Location: Mohéli island
Beneficiaries: 10 communities of southern Mohéli coast
Biodiversity: Mohéli Marine Park
Case Study
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Related Multimedia Resources
Mohéli Marine Park, Comoros - Equator Prize 2002 Winner
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Equator Prize 2002
Sub-Saharan Africa
Biodiversity Conservation
Marine and Coastal Resource Management
Contact Information
Mr. Mohamed Ahamada Djoumoi, Vice-President of the Park Management
Committee and representative of the communities. Moheli Marine Park,
Nioumachoua, Moheli, Comoros. P.O. Box 34.
Tel: (269) 72.06.43
Fax: (269) 72.06.43
Said Youssouf Mbechezi
Maison des Nations Unies 648 Moroni Comores
Tel: (269) 73 15 58
Email: youssouf.mbechezi@undp.org
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