Marine and Coastal Resources (MCR) Program

The Program focuses on issues concerned with the coastal zone and its associated resources. It spearheads, implements, and contributes to national, regional and international efforts designed to provide proper action oriented management strategies for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). It targets students, managers, planners, decision makers, community activists, and resource users.

Program’s Objectives
Through applied research, community workshops, capacity building activities, participatory approaches, meeting with relevant stakeholders and other similar actions, the MCR:

• - Fills gaps in available data vis-à-vis marine and coastal biological and physical resources in order to promote the implementation of sustainable management and conservation programs.
• - Carries-out scientific research on fish populations and their management, and translate such understanding into effective management approaches so the sector may realize its potential benefits to fishers and society.
• - Contributes to the conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity.
• - Promotes and supports through applied scientific research the establishment and sustainability of Marine Protected Areas.
• - Builds and commits political will to adopt ICZM at national and regional levels and increases awareness on the cost/benefit and significance of ICZM to communities.
• - Increases coordination and communication amongst different sectors and levels of decision-making bodies within its area of expertise.
• - Strengthens the capacities and competence of relevant stakeholders, in particular local authorities and coastal communities through a variety of multi-stakeholder dialogue initiatives, capacity building and training activities.
• - Raises public awareness on marine and coastal resources with an emphasis on ICZM.

Themes of interest

• - Strategic planning and program development for ICZM.
• - Marine Protected Areas.
• - Fisheries management.
• - Artificial reefs.
• - Threatened species.
• - Marine pollution indicators.
• - Pollution transport in coastal zones.
• - Human impacts on coastal environments.
• - Coastal dynamics (as beach erosion…).
• - Waves and current profiling.
• - Natural hazard risks and management.