The coastal and marine zones in West Africa are home to many significant socioeconomic activities such as tourism, fishing, mining and more. The lives and livelihoods of people in these countries are heavily reliant on these activities and resources, both directly and indirectly. The coastal and marine zones, as a result, are under significant pressure. Overdependence and mismanagement of resources in these zones can have enormously negative impacts on the people and the economies of these countries.
To lessen this pressure, West African countries have come together with the hope of providing joint responses and common approaches towards ensuring conservation of the coastal and marine zones as well as sustainable management of its resources. Under the Regional Partnership for the Conservation of the Coastal and Marine Zone of West Africa, stakeholders from countries spanning Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone are working on problems that threaten the West African coastline.
WA BiCC participated in the 9th Forum of the Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation (PRCM) in Conakry, Guinea from October 23-26. During the forum, WA BiCC hosted 2 side events on Coastal Landscape Resilience to Climate Change in West Africa, and Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing the Abidjan Convention Protocol on “Integrated Coastal Zone Management” in the Face of Climate Change. WA BiCC also organized the first ever West Africa Mangrove Day on October 27. Mangrove plants are essential in improving coastal resilience to the effects of climate change in coastal areas. A special day was commemorated to reiterate their importance and to work towards restoring and conserving these plant species. WA BiCC seized the opportunity to identify a way of developing and sustaining a regional platform for learning and peer exchange among mangrove specialists and policymakers.
