A youth in Gbongboma and the WA BiCC Community Animator in the region monitoring the growth of the mangrove seedlings in their restored site.
Blog

Mangrove Restoration Training Motivates a Sierra Leone Coastal Community to Expand its Restoration Efforts

Aug 26, 2019
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As rising sea levels threaten West Africa’s coasts, communities large and small are looking to mangrove restoration as an essential protective measure. However, getting a mangrove nursery off the ground requires three to six months of dedicated community inputs including time and labor, and finding sufficient time and energy can be a struggle given other…

Figure 1 One of the mangrove restoration sites of Mosam Community, Yawri Bay, Southern Sierra
Blog

The Importance of Strong Local Leadership: Two Community Icons Push for Participation in Mangrove Restoration Project

Aug 26, 2019
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In a small fishing community in Sierra Leone, Ibrahim Mansary and Saidu Kamara had a mission to complete. The Chairman (Ibrahim) and Secretary (Saidu) of the Mosam community’s Mangrove Restoration Committee were keen to re-stimulate a neglected effort to establish a mangrove nursery, an idea introduced by the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA…

A group of people posing for a picture.
News

Africa’s Atlantic Coast Gets a Boost for Sustainable Management

Jul 15, 2019
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The Plenipotentiaries to the Abidjan Convention met on July 2nd  2019 in Abidjan for what participants soundly agreed was a very successful gathering, taking unprecedented steps towards the conservation and sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems from Morocco to South Africa. Under the chairmanship of Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, his…

A group of men standing and taking measurements in the estuary.
News

Sierra Leone Validates Climate Change Adaptation Plan as Stakeholders Prepare for Action

May 23, 2019
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Sierra Leone is ranked among countries highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change; in 2017, Sierra Leone ranked third most vulnerable nation after Bangladesh and Guinea Bissau to adverse effects of climate change (GlobalSecurity.org, 2017). In the midst of this, the National Government and development partners are committed to taking urgent actions critical…

A man delivering a speech at the podium.
Blog

The Abidjan Convention Strategic Role in Ocean Governance

May 22, 2019
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A key principle of the USAID-funded West Africa Biodiversity Conservation (WA BiCC) Program is to work in partnership with regional partner institutions to strengthen and enhance their capacity. This is to most effectively address those environmental issues that underpin their core mandates. The support provided through these partnerships is mutual, as it also enhances WA…

Fact Sheets

Strengthening Climate Change Resilience in the Fresco Coastal Landscape, Côte d’Ivoire

Mar 20, 2019
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The Fresco coastal landscape includes the Fresco Lagoon and the Bolo and Niouniourou rivers which feed the lagoon with fresh water. Known locally as Koyiri, the lagoon lies in the administrative region of Gbokle. It has been classified as a Ramsar Site due to its rich biodiversity, including several endangered species like the manatee and…

News

Into the Limelight; Fresco Project Launches

Mar 13, 2019
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The Fresco coastal landscape in Côte d’Ivoire harbors some of the country’s rich biodiversity hotspots and is noted for its contribution to fisheries food security. It was selected by USAID as a focal landscape for interventions by USAID’s West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Program (WA BiCC) based on scoping work undertaken during Program design.…

Press Releases

Coastal Resilience Project Launches in Fresco – Cote D’ivoire, to Protect Ecosystems and Improve Lives of Thousands

Feb 21, 2019
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Fresco – Cote d’Ivoire, February 13 – A new Initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is being launched in Fresco, southern Côte d’Ivoire, on Wednesday, February 13, to promote the wellbeing of households living in an area that is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and an urgent need…

Reports

Scoping Study Report on Aquatic ETPs

Jan 21, 2019
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This study was done to assess the knowledge base of Aquatic endangered species in the West Africa Region.

Fact Sheets

Increasing Coastal Resilience to Climate Change Brief

Jan 18, 2019
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The coastal ecosystems of West Africa are a rich source of biological diversity and natural resources. They provide critical environmental services: natural vegetative buffers to fluctuating tides and rain events; regulation of salinity and water quality where freshwater rivers and coastal saltwater meet; fixation and storage of carbon; and spawning grounds for aquatic resources. Learn…