The Project entitled “Addressing land-based 0ctivities in the Western Indian Ocean” (shortly referred to as “WIO-LaB”) addresses some of the major environmental problems and issues related to the degradation of the marine and coastal environment due to land-based activities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. The project is designed to serve as a demonstration project for the UNEP’s Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA/LBA). The project has three main objectives: 1) Improve the knowledge base, and establish regional guidelines for the reduction of stress to the marine and coastal ecosystem by improving water and sediment quality; 2) Strengthen the regional legal basis for preventing land-based sources of pollution; and 3) Develop regional capacity and strengthen institutions for sustainable, less polluting development. The project activities include among others, a regional monitoring programme for water, sediment and biota quality, the implementation of demonstration projects and the development of regional guidelines for the management of municipal wastewater and physical alteration and destruction of habitats, the development of regional guidelines for environmental quality objectives and standards and Environmental Impact Assessment, and a regional Protocol on Land-based Activities to the Nairobi Convention, and various training, educational and stakeholder involvement activities. The final product of the project will be a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and Strategic Action Plan (SAP), as well as related National Programmes of Action (NPA) for abating the impacts of land-based sources activities. An overview of the WIO-LaB project objectives and related components is presented in Annex 1.