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WILDTRUST, in partnership with Blue Action Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative, Blue Ventures, Oceana, and Together for the Ocean, hosted a high-energy event at the Our Ocean Conference yesterday titled "Making 30x30 Work: Community-Led Marine Protection Across Africa."

The event highlighted how African coastal states and local communities are turning global commitments into real-world results on the ground.

The event brought together government leaders, community, and youth voices, highlighting proven, African-led solutions that restore marine ecosystems while strengthening livelihoods and resilience.

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Oceana Blue Ventures Youth4MPAs Ocean Stewards

Yesterday, representatives of the WILDTRUST team attended a session at the 11th Our Ocean Conference titled “From Commitment to Action: Africa’s Ocean Leadership for Effective 30x30” to witness the Environmental Minister of Comoros, Abubakar Ben Mahmoud, announce and pledge their commitment to 30x30.

“Recent support from partners, including WILDTRUST, has facilitated the drafting of a 30x30 implementation plan, including identifying important ocean areas in their EEZ to protect and conserve. And we look forward to further partnerships to support surveillance, enforcement, and management as we work towards the expansion of our MPA network. I am proud to also announce that Comoros ratified the historic Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, or BBNJ Agreement.

As threats such as overfishing and climate change intensify in these waters, the treaty offers critical protection for countries whose economies and food security are deeply reliant on healthy marine ecosystems.

Finally, the early adoption of the BBNJ Agreement also ensures that Comoros assumes a strategic role in shaping the treaty, actively contributing to its formulation. This reaffirms our commitment to African leadership in biodiversity conservation and aligns us with a strong, unified continental voice in advancing the implementation of the BBNJ agreement.

We call on others to commit to walking this path with us, as we work together to safeguard ocean health - for our people, for Africa, and for the planet.”

Key partner CORDIO representative Joshua Rambahiniarison also presented on the amazing work of their organization, concluding with the need to look at our shared waters, connected ecosystems, shared responsibility, and shared leadership.

Bloomberg Philanthropies, Pew Research Center & Oceans5

Yesterday, Advocate Radia Razack of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and WILDTRUST’s Dr. Jean Harris spoke at an event titled “Bringing the High Seas Treaty to Life: Ratification and Beyond” at the 11th Our Ocean Conference currently taking place in Mombasa, Kenya.

Hosted by the High Seas Alliance (HSA) in partnership with various government entities, WILDTRUST, and other partners, the event aimed to “turn words into action on the water and breathe life into the BBNJ Agreement,” as per Rebecca Hubbard, Director at HSA.

Advocate Razack noted that South Africa is in the process of ratification but is also working in parallel to implement the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. It is important to us that real readiness and effective implementation follow ratification.”

Dr. Jean Harris, Strategic Ocean Lead at WILDTRUST, spoke about the exciting CIRCLE (Connecting Sub-Antarctic Islands and Ridges for Conservation, Linkages, and Effective Management and Enforcement) project that has been highly collaborative with both the French and South African governments for a proposed High Seas MPA around and connecting Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean.

“The CIRCLE project aims to drive and support the process for the development of a proposal, drafted consultatively with South Africa and France (and possibly Australia), for a High Seas MPA around and between the Prince Edward Island, Crozet Island and Kerguelen Island MPAs (possibly including areas around Heard and McDonald MPA), to protect important biological corridors, habitats and biodiversity processes at a scale appropriate for migratory species occurring in the Southern Ocean, ready for consideration at the BBNJ COP in 2028.

This process will involve collaboration with the PHOCIS project, drawing on its longstanding scientific work into the pelagic ecosystems of the proposed MPA area.

Dr. Harris concluded by thanking Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative, Oceans 5, and the Blue Nature Alliance for their support in making this work possible.

Some of the WILDTRUST team are in Mombasa, Kenya this week attending the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC), taking place from 16 to 18 June under the theme, "Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future."

In a pre-conference side event hosted by one of our donors, Oceans 5, they celebrated and acknowledged grantees in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. Mutual grantees and friends of the WILDTRUST, The Green Connection, highlighted the advocacy and awareness efforts they continue to drive in South Africa as they push back against oil and gas developments.

Addressing the gathering, Green Connection's Neville van Rooy reminded attendees of the power of collective action, saying: "To this very moment, we do not have active oil and gas in South Africa's ocean."

Stay tuned this week as we bring you further updates from the Our Ocean Conference.

Youth4MPAs High Seas Alliance Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Sharks Under Attack Justice 4 Jaws

HOW TO: Download and use the Gillnet Reporting App

The Gillnet Reporting App is easy to download, and simple to use. Follow the steps below to start using the app, and to start contributing to the management and reporting of illegal gillnetting activities.

Step 1: Open the App Store on your smartphone device, and search for Survey123

Step 2: Find the ArcGIS Survey123 app, and click on ‘get’ or ‘install’

Step 3: Once downloaded, click on the app, and click ‘Continue without signing in’, which will take you to the landing page. We suggest allowing access to your camera to be able to scan the QR sign-up code, and to later upload images of illegal gillnetting activity if relevant.

Step 4: In the top search bar, click on the small QR code icon on the right.

Step 5: Scan the QR code on the gillnetting poster, which will automatically open a gillnet reporting form.

Step 6: Input the relevant information into the report - we suggest adding as much detail and content as possible.

Step 7: Once you have added all the information, click on the tick mark (bottom right). You will be prompted to either 'Send now' to send the report; ‘Continue this survey’, which will take you back to add more information; or 'Save in Outbox', which will keep the report for you to edit until you are ready to send it.

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment South African Police Service Ocean Impact

For nearly 60 years, Gogo Joyce Ngonyama has harvested incema, transforming a traditional skill into a livelihood that has sustained her family across generations.

A mother of eight, she remembers the years of raising her children while her husband worked away from home. Through resilience, dedication, and the income she earned from her craft, she helped provide for her family and create opportunities for her children — including one who went on to become a medical doctor.

Today, at 70 years old, her greatest wish is to see younger generations learn this valuable skill and keep the tradition alive.

Her journey is a powerful reminder that women are not only custodians of culture and knowledge but also architects of their own futures.

"Women are the authors of their own stories."

And what a remarkable story she has written.

Her full story goes live next Tuesday.

This story was made possible through funding provided by the Blue Action Fund.

Earlier this week, WILDTRUST joined stakeholders from government, academia, conservation, and industry at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) World Oceans Day Celebration, held at the Nelson Mandela Passenger Terminal.

The event brought together ocean champions from across South Africa to reflect on this year’s theme, “Reimagining Our Relationship with the Ocean,” highlighting the importance of ocean literacy, marine conservation, scientific research, technological innovation, and collaborative action to protect our blue planet. During the event, WILDTRUST also presented findings from its collaborative research with different stakeholders on plastic pollution and its growing impact in KwaZulu-Natal.

Among the speakers were Dr. Jennifer Molwantwa, CEO of the Water Research Commission, Narend Singh, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, and Cyril Xaba, Executive Mayor of eThekwini Municipality. Also in attendance was Nonhlanhla Mkhize, Director-General of KwaZulu-Natal. The speakers welcomed the research findings and acknowledged the importance of the partnership between WILDTRUST and different stakeholders in advancing understanding of plastic pollution.

Dr. Molwantwa highlighted how simple individual actions, such as choosing reusable bags over single-use plastics, can collectively reduce pollution and help protect marine ecosystems. In his keynote address, Deputy Minister Singh emphasised the need to translate research into meaningful action and challenged stakeholders to identify practical solutions for addressing plastic pollution both along the coastline and offshore.

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Water Research Commission ezemvelokznwildlife

2 Days to go!

Do not miss this inspiring webinar, Voices From the Coast: Women and Youth Leading Conservation, featuring powerful stories from women and youth pioneering conservation.

The session will feature these Ocean Champions:

Zodidi Gwayise – WILDOCEANS Project Manager, Programme of the WILDTRUST
Fiona MacKay – Senior Scientist at the Oceanographic Research Institute
Alwande Dube – Youth4MPAs Chairperson, Youth Programme of the WILDTRUST.

Webinar Details
Date: Friday, 12 June 2026
Time: 10h00 –11h30
Platform: Zoom

Discover how you can get involved, build valuable skills, and contribute to marine conservation efforts.

Please help us spread the word!

Please register for the session using the link below:
Registration Link- https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/yNq2Rqri08