Since the 1800s, there has been a one-sided emphasis on conservation of Africa’s unique terrestrial fauna yet there are currently huge gaps in scientific knowledge and local capacity for the conservation of marine species and habitats – illustrated by the little-known fact that the most endangered mammal in Africa nowadays is not the rhino or the cheetah, but in fact the dugong or seacow. These issues must be urgently addressed, particularly in the Western Indian Ocean where extremely poor island states are inherently dependent on their marine resources for food security, coastal protection and revenue from tourism.

The C3 Madagascar and Indian Ocean lslands Programme was established to address some of these issues in collaboration with local partners in Comoros, Madagascar and Mauritius.