About Us

Luanda Bay (LB) is the second largest coastal bay in Angola, located in front of Luanda, and protected by an island. The LB is a rich ecosystem providing a wide diversity of services, however multiple pressures are threatening this ecosystem. Solid waste and untreated domestic effluents are released daily into the Bay, hampering fishing, the practice of nautical sports, and of other leisure activities. The government recently approved a program to rehabilitate the area surrounding the LB. The prediction of the environmental responses to rehabilitation actions, as well as the mitigation of current threats to the LB, requires the analysis of water and sediment quality. This includes the detection of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the evaluation of trophic dynamics. This project will provide a biodiversity database and a deeper understanding of the cause underlying poor water quality, specifically the presence of toxic species in the LB and compare it to a reference site, the Mussúlo Bay. An ecosystem-based approach, which is crucial for planning the future development of the LB, is based on two principles: 1) maintaining and improving the ecosystem health, 2) balancing derived society values. To accomplish these objectives, an Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) will be developed for the LB to identify priority issues and management actions. This exercise will involve relevant local and management institutions to facilitate a participatory approach which enables society to become an active stakeholder of the project. The sustainable development of the sea is a major goal of Blue Economy and Blue Society, integrating marine resources and the mitigation of environmental risks for increasing the QoL. This is will be facilitated by the Collaborative Research Center in Marine Sciences “CCEMAR” that will be established.