CORDIO Strategic Plan 2021-2025

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Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean, East Africa
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-2025
An African hub for
marine science and
conservation in the
Western Indian Ocean

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Foreword
The CORDIO East Africa team are looking forward
to an exciting and productive five-year programme
to address their mission to improve the health and
resilience of marine ecosystems and coastal peoples’
well-being in the Western Indian Ocean.
CORDIO East Africa is an established African centre of marine science expertise, operating
as an independent civil society organisation. In this CORDIO is unique, bridging the
gap between government and community, between policy and practice and providing
independent and novel thinking.
This new Strategic Plan outlines CORDIO’s innovative approaches in research, conservation
action and support to policy and governance, and is captured in four Goals:
1. IMPROVING POLICY AND GOVERNANCE for marine biodiversity and the people
dependent on it.
2. SUPPORTING LOCAL MANAGEMENT of marine resources by strengthening LMMAs and
other co-management approaches in Kenya and across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO).
3. BUILDING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE and capacity for marine conservation and
management.
4. STRENGTHENING CORDIO’S INTERNAL CAPACITY, with a focus on internal leadership
and team development, fundraising and communications.
CORDIO will achieve these goals through building on its established reputation as a worldclass
scientific research organisation and leader in coral reef ecology, tropical small-scale
fisheries and monitoring. CORDIO’s interconnected approach that integrates, through
partnerships, science, policy, management and governance, is highly adapted to achieve
these ambitious goals. I am confident that CORDIO will continue to lead and have a positive
impact from community to regional and global levels.
—Ali Kaka, Chair, CORDIO East Africa’s Advisory Board

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Introduction
Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the
Indian Ocean (CORDIO) was established in 1999 as a
regional research network in the Western Indian Ocean
(WIO) focused on coral reef science. Its formation
was originally spurred by the global coral bleaching
event of 1998. Formally established as a non-profit
organisation in Kenya in 2003, CORDIO has grown over
the past two decades (see below) into a leading centre
for coastal marine and ocean science and conservation
in East Africa and the wider WIO region.
CORDIO’S EVOLUTION: 1999-2020
1999: CORDIO is founded with a
focus on supporting and building
capacity for coral reef monitoring
in the Western Indian Ocean and
South Asia.
2003: Registration of CORDIO
East Africa as a Kenyan non-profit
organisation.
2006: Transition from Sida
(Sweden) dominated funding to
multiple donors and to regional
research projects; transition in
CORDIO coordination from Sweden
to Mombasa, and of geographic
focus to the Western Indian Ocean.
2007 - 2012: Expansion with
addition of Co-Director, and shift
of focus to regional research on
coral reef climate resilience and
biogeography, threatened species
and fisheries research and capacitybuilding
with fishing communities.
2013 - 2018: Institutional
strengthening through establishing
Advisory Board; increased
leadership roles in regional
and global initiatives (Northern
Mozambique Channel, multiple
IUCN groups, SDG14, blue economy
and ocean governance).
2019-2020: Institutional growth
through larger grants (Norad, IKI-
IUCN), expansion of research and
management staffing, end of 2016-
2020 Strategic Plan coinciding with
major decadal policy processes
(CBD, SDG, UN Decade).
This new strategic plan
presents CORDIO’s approach for
strengthening and delivering on its
mission as marine conservation
and sustainability concerns rise on
the global development agenda due
to increased pressures on marine
systems and resources. CORDIO
continues to operate as an African
research organisation focused on
marine science, conservation and
sustainability in the WIO, as well as
part of global networks.

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The Context
Marine Conservation Challenges and
Opportunities in the Western Indian Ocean
The degradation of marine resources is a critical challenge for
people and biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO).
Marine ecosystems such as coral reefs play
a central role in the livelihoods of millions of
coastal people in the region, through local forms
of utilisation and key national industries such
as tourism. The annual “gross marine product”
of the WIO region – equivalent to a country’s
annual gross domestic product (GDP) – is at least
US$20.8 billion, derived from a total “ocean asset
base” estimated at US$333 billion. As the growing
regional focus on the ‘Blue Economy’ indicates,
healthy coastal and marine ecosystems play a
central role in sustaining human well-being across
the WIO.
The WIO contains the second peak of coral reef
biodiversity in the world. However, in the past
two decades, average coral cover has declined
by a quarter as a result of coral bleaching events,
overfishing and other pressures. All coral reef subregions
in the WIO are rated Vulnerable to Critically
Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems.
Small-scale fisheries are ranked as 76% overfished
across the WIO, 50% of shark species are
considered threatened, and critically important
larger predatory fish such as groupers are heavily
depleted or functionally extinct across much of the
region.
There are several fundamental drivers of decline
of the region’s marine resources and biodiversity.
These include climate change, overexploitation of
fisheries, inadequate governance and enforcement
systems including protection of marine areas,
insufficient or inadequate policy measures and
lack of investment in local management capacity.
As pressures grow on marine ecosystems and
the livelihoods that depend on them, ocean and
marine issues are rising in prominence in global,
regional and national policy arenas. New interests
and resources are converging on the challenges,
and generating important opportunities. Ocean
conservation is now mainstreamed within the
UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the
UN ‘Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable
Development’ begins in 2021.
Growing recognition of the central role that oceans
and marine ecosystems play in human economies
is driving greater interest across scales in Marine
Spatial Planning, Sustainable Blue Economy
strategies, and a suite of related strategies that
seek to improve the management of fisheries
and other marine resources while unlocking new
economic opportunities.

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Expanding Marine Protected Area
(MPA) coverage has been a priority
under the Convention on Biological
Diversity’s Aichi Targets, which
set a target of 10% coverage for
2020, and likely to expand to 30%
under the new global biodiversity
framework (GBF) being negotiated
for 2030.
Globally, a key trend in conservation
approaches over the past two
decades has been the increasing
role of local community-based
management approaches, and this
has been strongly emphasised
in the WIO in the last 15 years,
in the form of Locally Managed
Marine Areas (LMMAs), whereby
community institutions take the
lead in collectively managing
defined coastal territories and the
reefs and fisheries therein.
By
2014
LMMAs covered
> 11,000 km2 in the
WIO, collectively
increasing overall
MPA coverage to 11%.
Madagascar and Kenya have led the
way in the region, with important
positive impacts documented, and more
recently Mozambique passed important
regulatory reforms to support LMMA
establishment.
Although LMMAs have spread widely across the region,
their governance and financial sustainability tend to
be limited and they have often been unable to prevent
continued depletion of local fisheries. The growing
interest and investment in marine policy and local
management approaches amongst policy makers,
local governments, local fishing communities, private
sector and conservationists, provides critical context for
CORDIO’s work and evolving strategy.
These trends are also creating new opportunities and
partnerships at different scales, and a greater focus
on the intersection of people’s livelihoods and marine
conservation.

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Background
CORDIO’s Track Record & Key Achievements
Scientific Expertise
CORDIO is a leading African non-governmental
organisation working at the intersection of marine
scientific research and conservation policy and
practice on a regional scale. CORDIO’s work
ranges from promoting sustainable resource
use within fishing communities to national and
regional research to support policy development
and improved governance of marine ecosystems.
At the global scale, CORDIO contributes to major
international policy and convention processes,
through its scientific research and publications, as
well as involvement in expert working groups and
committees.
CORDIO’s identity and reputation has been built
on its long history of producing quality scientific
research on Western Indian Ocean coastal and
ocean issues.
CORDIO is one of the leading sources of scientific
and monitoring expertise on coral reefs in the
region, including their resilience to climate
change, and other related topics such as coastal
fisheries, endangered species and biogeography.
CORDIO’s research effectively bridges science
and management, notably through its body of
work pioneering sustainability in artisanal fishing
gears and the establishment of LMMAs in Kenya.
CORDIO’s publications are diverse and increasingly
multi-disciplinary, ranging from top global scientific
journals such as Science and Nature, to userfriendly
manuals on fisheries and LMMAs designed
for local communities and other managers.
CORDIO employs a collaborative, inclusive and
open research culture, spanning numerous other
conservation organisations, government agencies
and academic institutions.

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“CORDIO stands above
all the organisations that
I know in the region, and
nationally in Kenya, in
terms of their particular
expertise on coral reefs –
they are known as the one
stop shop on coral reefs.”
–Ali Kaka, former Regional Director of IUCN
Eastern and Southern Africa, and Chair of
CORDIO’s Advisory Board

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Policy Influence
CORDIO’s technical expertise and strong roots
in Kenya, the WIO and the global coral reef
community, enable a wide-ranging engagement
with marine and conservation policy development.
This spans national policies on small scale
fisheries and LMMAs, including their legislative
guidelines, marine spatial planning, scoping
related to ocean governance and Blue Economy,
and technical inputs to global policy processes,
such as the Convention on Biological Diversity.
CORDIO brings its expertise, track record, technical
capacity, extensive partner network, and its local
grounding into these policy processes to link
science, decision-making and action.
CORDIO also supports local organisations working
on marine issues particularly in Mozambique,
Tanzania and Comoros, through training and
collaborative implementation of monitoring and
conservation activities. These partnerships beyond
Kenya, and CORDIO’s regional role as a hub of
science on key marine issues, are a foundation of
its work and role in the WIO.
Building National and Regional
Capacity in Marine Science and
Conservation
Over the past two decades, CORDIO has developed
into a unique East African hub of knowledge on
marine science and conservation, led by a growing
team of African marine scientists. CORDIO has
played a key role in facilitating regional knowledge
and the flow of information through targeted
training, mentoring and advice. For example,
through its role as a regional node for the Global
Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), CORDIO
builds capacity in data management and analysis
with counterparts in national research institutions.
CORDIO also collaborates with scientists at
universities in the region contributing to a strong
community of marine scientists within the WIO.
An internship programme provides Kenyan
undergraduates, as well as recent graduates, a
chance to work within CORDIO for three months
during or after their studies, providing a vital step
for a student’s career. CORDIO’s culture of staff
development through support to undertake further
qualifications or new career opportunities, has
also built a strong cadre of marine scientists in the
region.
“CORDIO has an
important role of
promoting young
scientists through
capacity building
opportunities. Many
coral reef and fisheries
scientists have been
through CORDIO.”
–Dr. Saleh Yahya, Institute of Marine
Sciences, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

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Community Marine Management
and Support
CORDIO applies its scientific and technical
knowledge to actively support communities
and local institutions in developing sustainable
marine management practices. CORDIO’s ability
to bridge top-level science with community-level
management is an important aspect of its work
and positioning within its field. CORDIO has played
a central role in supporting communities in the
development and implementation of LMMAs and
documenting their impacts in Kenya, Mozambique
and Tanzania. CORDIO has also worked directly
with fishing communities and local government
bodies to monitor, train and track small scale
fisheries and their impacts in order to develop
best management practices. CORDIO provides a
range of direct support services through training,
monitoring and community exchanges. Given the
level of interest in small scale fisheries and coastal
management systems such as LMMAs across
the region, there is significant demand for this
capacity.
Partnerships
CORDIO’s diverse and extensive collaboration
and partnerships are central to nearly all facets
of its work, from project delivery to its scientific
publications. Nearly all of these are carried out
through partnerships, both with international
organisations, funders and networks, and with
more locally site-based organisations such as
CORDIO’s partners in Tanzania and Mozambique.
Collaborations with government on policy
development and research are also important and
emphasised, as are institutional relationships with
other research and training organisations, notably
Pwani University in Kenya.
Keys to successful LMMAs, based on CORDIO research in Kenya:
EXTERNAL FUNDING
Availability of donors and
supporting institutions to
finance and facilitate LMMA
establishment
FUNDING
SUPPORT
GOVERNMENT
SUPPORT
COMMUNITY
SUPPORT
INFORMED AND COMMITTED
community members
PAST TRAINING in
community based marine
resource management
INSPIRATION
Presence of opportunties for
sharing LMMA information
A supporting legal FRAMEWORK PROVIDED through
national Environment and Fisheries regulations

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Vision,
Mission,
and Value
Proposition
Vision
Healthy coastal and ocean
ecosystems that support livelihoods.
Mission
To improve the health and resilience
of marine ecosystems and coastal
peoples’ well-being in the Western
Indian Ocean through research,
conservation action and support to
policy and governance.

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Value Proposition
CORDIO’s value proposition lies in the
following core attributes:
• A world-class scientific research
organisation and global leader in
coral reef ecology, tropical small
scale fisheries and monitoring;
• An established African centre of
marine science expertise, operating
as an independent civil society
organisation;
• Knowledge and impact that
extends from community to
regional and global levels;
• An interconnected approach
that integrates science, policy,
management and governance,
through partnerships.
CORDIO’s Values
• Excellence in science and research
• Driven, diverse and dynamic team
• Strong collaborations and
partnerships
• Professionalism and integrity
• Accountability and transparency
• Commitment to community
participation in sustainable
resource use
• Open communication of data,
research and information
• Ethical and inclusive

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Theory of
Change
CORDIO’s work seeks to deliver
healthier coastal and marine
ecosystems that can improve people’s
livelihoods in the WIO. CORDIO believes
that sustaining the marine environment
and its resources, including coral reefs
and fisheries, can be achieved through:
• ENHANCING INFORMATION and
knowledge of the issues critical for
conservation;
• STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITY
of community level management
bodies (e.g. LMMAs/fisher
associations) to promote
sustainable resource use;
• IMPROVING POLICY and
governance of marine resources
by government at multiple levels
and changing attitudes to promote
sustainable production and
consumption.
CORDIO will
contribute towards
change in these
key outcomes by
marshalling its
knowledge and
capabilities in science,
monitoring, training,
and stakeholder
engagement, as well
as by leveraging its
regional reach and
partnerships.

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OUTCOMES
IMPROVED POLICY &
GOVERNANCE
• Nationally &
Regionally
• Key Processes
such as Marine
Spatial Planning
VISION:
HEALTHY
COASTAL
ECOSYSTEMS
& IMPROVED
LIVELIHOODS
STRENGTHEN
LOCAL
MANAGEMENT
CAPACITY
• BMUs
• LMMAs
GREATER KNOWLEDGE,
INFORMATION, and human
capacity across WIO for marine
science and conservation
INFORM INFLUENCE EDUCATE
EMPOWER
ENABLE
SCIENCE/
RESEARCH
TRAINING, TOOLS,
MONITORING
SUPPORT
COMMUNICATIONS
PARTNERSHIPS,
NETWORKS &
COLLABORATION
ACTIVITIES: THE WORK

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Goals &
Objectives
CORDIO’s work over the next
five years will be organised
around four core goals:
1
Improving policy and
governance for marine
biodiversity and the people
dependent on it.
3
Building scientific
knowledge and capacity
for marine conservation
and management.
2
Supporting local management
of marine resources by
strengthening LMMAs
and other co-management
approaches in Kenya and
across the WIO.
4
Strengthening CORDIO’s
internal capacity, with
a focus on internal
leadership and team
development, fundraising
and communications.
Each of the goals has strategic objectives which detail the actions
CORDIO will undertake in order to achieve each goal.

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Goal 1: Improving Policy
and Governance
Much of CORDIO’s work throughout its history has focused on
generating science, research, and informational tools that can
inform and improve marine policies and governance. Improving
policy and governance processes at different levels is key to
addressing the present and horizon threats of overexploitation,
unsustainable coastal development, and global changes that
threaten marine biodiversity and ecosystem benefits across the
WIO region.
Recent examples of CORDIO’s work here include ongoing
technical inputs to the CBD, the Intergovernmental Science-
Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES),
the regional Nairobi Convention science-to-policy dialogues, and
the production of legislative guidelines for LMMAs in Kenya and
small scale fishing gear policy advisories.
CORDIO will focus on shaping its research agenda around
informing key policy issues and in the process continue to use
its expansive collaborations and diverse partnerships.

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Objective 1: Contribute to
improved marine policies through
partnerships and providing
scientific knowledge to key
decision-making processes.
KEY ACTIONS
• Contribute the latest species-specific,
resource-use and ecosystem information to
inform biodiversity conservation, fisheries and
other marine management
• Publicise findings from relevant recent
research on coral reefs and related systems
that inform a broad audience.
• Promote the successes and needs in
community approaches to local governance
and marine resource management.
• Encourage inclusive co-management and
the uptake of local/community knowledge in
decision making circles.
• Participate in fora that build sustainability
into sub-national, national, regional and global
policy processes and implementation.
Objective 2: Improve planning and
governance of marine systems at
local, national and regional levels.
KEY ACTIONS
• Engage with various stakeholders from
community to regional levels to promote
actions that contribute to conservation and
sustainable use.
• Contribute to policy change for sustainability
in small scale fisheries operations.
• Communicate research findings and their
implications to community level institutions
and other local stakeholders.
• Develop tools and training for governance
in LMMAs and other community-based
approaches.
• Engage and contribute to Marine Spatial
Planning and Blue Economy dialogues and
processes in WIO countries and the region as
a whole.
• Integrate species and ecosystem Red
Listing in conservation and marine planning
processes.

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Goal 2: Supporting
Local Marine Resource
Management
A core foundation of CORDIO’s work in developing other effective
conservation measures is through directly working with and
supporting community marine management bodies in their
efforts to strengthen LMMAs and manage small-scale fisheries
(SSFs). CORDIO’s approach has been to provide training and
technical support for monitoring and management of SSFs and
to a wide range of LMMAs inside and outside Kenya.
CORDIO will continue to aim for a broad geographic approach
through its tools, networks and partnerships, but will also
work to increase its investment at a core set of sites where
it has strong, long-term relationships, in order to advance
those LMMAs to greater success in their overall management,
including of SSFs, and financial sustainability.

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Objective 1: Enable communities to
effectively manage and sustainably
use their marine resources.
KEY ACTIONS
• Equip communities with relevant knowledge,
skills and technology to effectively manage
their fisheries and other marine resources.
• Engage communities in the research process:
design, data collection and analysis, reporting
and feedback.
• Train community trainers to deliver various
capacity building activities long term.
• Focus on key LMMA sites to demonstrate
success and impact.
• Promote exchange of information among
coastal communities through learning
networks and exchange visits.
Objective 2: Engage with local
partners and other relevant
networks to support their efforts
in strengthening community
governance of marine resources.
KEY ACTIONS
• Support local partners and other relevant
networks to support their efforts in effective
management of LMMAs and small scale
fisheries.
• Collaborate with partners to develop long-term
financing mechanisms for management of
SSFs and LMMAs .
• Support fishing communities’ institutions
(BMUs, CCFs etc) to develop concepts and
proposals that will help them secure funding.
• Promote improved sustainability of LMMAs
and SSFs through MSP and Blue Economy
processes.

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Goal 3: Strengthening
Scientific Knowledge
and Capacity
CORDIO started as a network organisation to enable and build
capacity for coordinated monitoring and research on coral
reef condition in the WIO. CORDIO’s regional role focuses on
producing and communicating innovative scientific research,
aggregating and sharing data, strengthening coral reef
monitoring standards and building the human capacity for
marine science.
CORDIO engages with partners to ground its research within the
region, and through its networking role links WIO science into
global research and conservation networks.

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Objective 1: Undertake high quality
integrated ecological and social
research on coral reefs, associated
marine systems, their fisheries and
other human impacts.
KEY ACTIONS
• Conduct novel scientific research and publish
results with applied management relevance to
the WIO.
• Partner with leading research institutions
internationally and in the region.
• Operate a regional coral reef monitoring node
with a coral bleaching alert network and
information hub.
• Incorporate social and rights-based aspects
into research on community-based natural
resource management (CBNRM).
• Engage in topical or urgent needs-based
research and assessments.
• Collate latest spatial information on
MASPAWIO’s portal and dashboards.
Objective 2: Increase capacity of
researchers, managers and other
stakeholders to generate, manage,
analyse and freely share scientific
data and results.
KEY ACTIONS
• Strengthen the application of innovative
survey methods and tools in the WIO region
among management agencies to improve
standards and practices.
• Manage GCRMN and other data repositories in
collaboration with data providers/contributors
and relevant networks.
• Organise events for WIO researchers,
technicians and managers on methods, data
management, analysis and communication of
results.
• Strengthen links with Kenyan Universities
to support marine research / conservation
teaching, postgraduate studies and CORDIO’s
internship programme.

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Goal 4: Positioning
CORDIO for Success:
Managing Growth and
Building Internal Capacity
CORDIO has grown significantly in the last five years with
staff numbers rising by 40% and significant recent investment
resulting in the organisational annual budget almost doubling
to US$900,000 in 2019-2020. CORDIO has been able to build
a talented team of younger Kenyan marine scientists as
well as nurture individuals who move on to other leadership
positions in the national and regional marine policy, science and
conservation arena. An important phase in CORDIO’s own growth
has been to build a larger senior team, spreading leadership
responsibilities more broadly beyond the co-directors. CORDIO
will continue this expansion by attracting additional staff in key
areas, while building up the capacity of the existing team to take
on leadership roles.
To translate CORDIO’s deep and perhaps unequalled body of
information, knowledge, and published products into forms
that facilitate application and action, CORDIO will invest in
new approaches and communications channels. To effectively
influence policy and governance changes, communications
platforms essential to promoting CORDIO as an organisation,
such as its website and annual reports, need rebranding, as does
leadership development across staff. These factors guide our
organisational development objectives over the next 5 years in
the context of the changing and dynamic issues facing coastal
and marine environments and people in the WIO.

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Objective 1: Strengthening capacity
of CORDIO staff in strategic
leadership, science, training and
conservation action.
KEY ACTIONS
• Build leadership capacity in senior staff to lead
CORDIO’s programmes and raise funds
• Support staff to build their capacity needs
through technical training and professional
courses
• Build the capacity of staff to manage projects,
engage with stakeholders and partners, and
produce scientific publications and outreach
materials
Objective 3: Strengthen CORDIO’s
governance to support the
achievement of its vision
KEY ACTIONS
• Build leadership capacity of Senior
Management Team staff to improve strategic
decision-making of the organisation.
• Ensure organisational policies are kept current.
• Improve financial and administrative decisionmaking
by clearly defining roles and authority
of Directors and Senior Staff.
• Strengthen CORDIO’s Advisory Board to
provide stronger strategic and fundraising
advice to CORDIO.
Objective 2: Diversify and expand
CORDIO’s Funding Portfolio for long
term sustainability
KEY ACTIONS
• Develop a financial sustainability strategy to
consolidate existing and identify new revenue
sources.
• Give grant writing opportunities to staff to
enhance proposal writing skills
• Leverage existing projects and relationships
with donors to secure repeat funding.
• Forge new donor relationships, including
prioritising greater flexible core funding
required to invest in CORDIO’s capacity.
Objective 4: Improve external
communications
• Develop an institutional level communication
strategy to guide all communication activities.
• Improve communication tools that showcase
CORDIO’s brand, achievements and key
features.
• Improve internal capacity in communications
including overall strategic management as
well as generating content.
• Incorporate specific budget allocations in
proposals to support communication expertise
in-house.
• Target multiple audiences with different
knowledge products with clear objectives on
our intended impact.
• Build partnerships to expand our
communications reach and impact.

David Obura
Director
Melita Samoilys
Director
SUSTAINING THE FUTURE OF
PEOPLE AND OCEANS TOGETHER
Office Address:
#9 Kibaki Flats, Kenyatta Beach
Bamburi, Mombasa – Kenya
Postal Address:
P. O. BOX 10135- 80101
Mombasa – Kenya
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info@cordioea.net
www.cordioea.net
+254 736 341184
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