Five years now, the SEVENSEAS Marine Conservation & Travel magazine and Linking Tourism & Conservation (LT&C) became Partners. Meanwhile, and despite the obstacles 2020 presented., SEVENSEAS Media has grown quite a bit with now nearly 30 000 subscribers to its weekly newsletter, readers in more than 150 countries, and over 40k monthly page views to sevenseasmedia.org. As they are producing the leading free publications that promote marine conservation through community engagement, online media, and eco-tourism, they are an ideal mouthpiece in line with LT&C’s mission.
That SEVENSEAS made the LT&C news about Ivory Coast’s first marine protected area (MPA) the cover story of the February edition of its monthly magazine can help the further development of the Grand Béréby example. If the new MPA should not just stay as paper-park, but become a convincing blueprint for further MPA’s Côte d’Ivoire is planning, more awareness and more international support needs to be secured. To fully implement the MPA, a spatial planning process needs to follow. If e.g. applying for UNESCO Man & Biosphere status, a larger no-fishing core zone, sustainable use- and buffer zones need to be planned. Enforcements to eliminate illegal fishery done by foreign trawlers in the offshore waters should go hand in hand with zoning the area. It would benefit both fish populations and local fishing. Further research and participatory work with local communities are planned by the relevant governmental agencies and supported by international research institutions, such as the University of Exeter, related to international aid agencies.
