BRIDGES x SIOMPA 2026 Training

General overview of marine connectivity & connectivity in the SWIO

Explore how marine ecosystems are connected across space and time, and what these connections mean for marine management in the Southwest Indian Ocean. In this short video, Christophe Lett (IRD) and Nicolas Barrier (IRD) explain the key concepts covered in the session.

• Define marine connectivity and explore its main types and underlying processes.
• Discover the oceanographic features that shape connectivity in the Southwest Indian Ocean.
• Examine how corridors and barriers facilitate or limit connections between marine ecosystems in the region.

Takeaway: Marine connectivity depends on how ocean conditions interact with the way organisms move and disperse, within a lifetime and across generations. In the Southwest Indian Ocean, currents and eddies can act as corridors or barriers, helping eggs and larvae reach some areas while limiting their dispersal to others.

Modeling and visualizing connectivity

Explore how ocean circulation and larval dispersal models help us understand what connects marine areas. In this short video, Issufo Halo (South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment), Christophe Lett (IRD), and Nicolas Barrier (IRD) explain the principles behind these models and their relevance to marine conservation.

• Discover what drives ocean currents, how they vary across space and time, and how they carry eggs and larvae between marine areas.
• Explore how the passive dispersal of eggs and larvae and the active movement of animals can connect marine protected areas.
• See how Ichthyop uses current velocities from ocean models to simulate particle trajectories, and how users can select which processes to include based on the species and research question.

Takeaway: Understanding how currents and animal movements link marine protected areas can help design networks that function as a whole.

Measuring marine connectivity

Explore how scientists measure marine connectivity, from tracking individual animals to tracing gene flow between populations across generations. In this short video, Romina Henriques (University of Pretoria) explains how the research question guides the choice of method.

• Discover how acoustic and satellite tags reveal where marine animals move and which habitats they use at different stages of their lives.
• Learn how DNA from tissue samples can help identify where individuals come from and assess gene flow between populations over generations.
• Explore the practical challenges of collecting enough representative samples at sea and checking that the data can answer the research question.

This session was also taught by Taryn Murray (South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, SAIAB).

Takeaway: Telemetry shows how animals use and move between habitats during their lifetimes. Genomic data reveal how populations are connected across generations and can help assess their capacity to adapt to environmental change. Together, these approaches give marine spatial planners a fuller picture of connectivity.

Connectivity and conservation: From science to policy and practice

Explore how marine connectivity science can inform the design of marine protected areas. In this short video, Rodolphe Devillers (IRD) and Joseph Maina Mbui (Macquarie University) explain how connectivity can be incorporated into conservation planning and put into practice.

• Discover how systematic conservation planning brings together scientific data and stakeholder input to identify priorities for protection.
• Explore how indicators of functional connectivity can help identify areas that support biodiversity through their links with other sites.
• Learn how Kenya is incorporating connectivity into its conservation planning as part of its work to implement Target 3 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Takeaway: Considering connectivity helps planners decide which areas to protect together so they can function as a network.e which areas to protect together so they can function as a network.