Grants awarded

SOIFA Ahamed Soilih, Comoros

Abstract

In recent years, holothuroids have been overexploited in the Comoros. In order to make operational a conservation strategy, composition, distribution and abundance of the different holothuroid species present in the Comorese waters must be asssessed. Herefore taxonomic capacity must be raised.

Training location and duration: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels and Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren; from 20.VI.2004 to 04.VII.2004.The training in Belgium was complemented with a field training in the Comoros. Details onthis field training can befound in the mission report of the Belgian tutors.

Gained personal capacity: Mr SOIFA has become the'Point focal holothuries' for his country. In that position, differentstakeholders regularly solicit him.

Gained institutional capacity: through synergy with another capacity building program, in caso a project financed via the African Biodiversity Information Center,the local center of expertise (the 'Centre National de Documentation et de Recherche Scientifique' in Moroni) is now equipped with a dissecting microscope, a light microscope and with materials needed for samplingand preserving holothuroids. The Belgian GTI Focal Point equipped MrSOIFA with a digital camera to allow him to better document the observed species.

Remarks: the above-mentioned capacity building projects culminated in the first volume of the journal Abc Taxa. Scientific results have also been diffused by the Belgian tutors through a poster (Samyn et al., 2005, ) and papers (Samyn et al, 2005, Samyn et al, 2006).

Selected output:

. Arrêté Portant Interdiction Totale d'Exploitation des Holothuriesà des Fins Commerciales.

. VandenSpiegel, D.; Samyn, Y.; Massin, C. 2004. Renforcement des capacités taxonomiques - Les holothuries des Comores. Powerpoint presentation , prepared by the tutors of Mr Soifa; for a press conference in Moroni.

. Soifa, A. VandenSpiegel, D.; Samyn, Y. 2005. Renforcement des capacités taxonomiques -Les holothuries des Comores.Powerpoint presentation prepared by Mr Soifa and his tutors; used for informing the staff of the biology department of the University of the Comores in Moroni.

. Soifa, A. 2009. Les Holothuries des Comores. Mini symposium organised in the series ‘Les Mercredis du CNDRS' sessions. Université des Comores, 08.IV.2008.