Dr. Aaron Savio Lobo and Dr. Avadhoot Velankar from WCS-India's Marine Programme participated in the national consultative workshop on the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME Phase 2) project held in Chennai from 21st to 23rd March 2024. It was jointly organised by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organization (BOBP-IGO) and IUCN, and supported by GOI, FAO, GEF, and NORAD.
Over 80 stakeholders from various government units and NGOs came together to share insights, identify potential sites for Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) and Marine Managed Areas (MMA), address Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, discuss coastal and marine pollution, plan for enhance livelihoods, and foster partnerships.
Dr. Lobo and Dr. Velankar provided insight on EAFM (Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management) and MMA (Marine Managed Area) which align with WCS-India´s marine programme and contributed to strategic planning sessions on site selection and policy alignment, while highlighting the need for regional collaboration to effectively manage the Bay of Bengal's marine resources.
