mangroves

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…

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…

The Sherbro River Estuary is one of four Sierra Leone coastal regions that was declared a Marine Protected Area in March 2012, recognizing the value of mangrove forests as critical to the success of the fisheries sector in the country. While this decision was a major step in the right direction, ongoing unsustainable practices and…

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…