The Western Indian Ocean Environment Outlook (WIOEO) report is part of a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) project to produce state of the environment assessments for the countries of the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific, funded by DG VIII of the European Commission (EC). The objective of the WIOEO is to provide information on the state of the environment in the Western Indian Ocean, help identify regional environmental concerns and highlight policy priorities. This report provides an overview of the state of the environment (SOE), focusing on the Lomé countries of the Western Indian Ocean – the Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles – (Réunion, which is an overseas department of France, is not included), followed by a review of current policy responses including multilateral environmental agreements, and regional and national policy initiatives already undertaken in the region.