Mangroves
Current situation
Mangroves are areas located between land and sea, where vegetation grows in brackish water, a mixture of sea water and fresh water from river deltas. They are one of the richest ecosystems in the world. Many species of birds, monkeys, fish, crabs, shellfish, etc. find refuge there, feeding and breeding. Mangrove areas store 2 to 4 times more CO2 than tropical forests. While mangroves are of paramount ecological importance, their preservation is also essential for the populations that depend on their resources (fishing, firewood, traditional medicine, etc.) to meet their needs. Unfortunately, this ecosystem is threatened by various factors: land conversion for aquaculture and agriculture, coastal urban development, pollution, overexploitation (illegal logging for firewood and construction, overharvesting of oysters and other shellfish, etc.) and climate change. As a result, mangroves are disappearing at an alarming rate, with a quarter of their total area lost since the 1970s, and they are finding it increasingly difficult to regenerate. It is therefore essential to promote and protect this ecosystem.
Our actions
In mangrove areas, Eclosio:
– Encourages the exchange of experiences, knowledge and best practices in community management of mangrove ecosystems. Through the creation of multi-stakeholder exchange platforms that bring together NGOs, universities and local and international associations. These organisations pool their knowledge and disseminate it to their partners and communities in the form of ‘toolboxes’. This approach encourages the emergence of innovative approaches and the improvement of practices in the field of sustainable natural resource management.
– Enables the scaling up of proven practices. The various stakeholders are made aware of and trained in the use of these ‘toolboxes’. They directly identify problems related to mangrove ecosystems and are supported (methodologically and financially) in the sustainable management of these ecosystems.
Some multi-stakeholder partner platforms:
Collectif 5D, Collectif des acteurs du Golfe du Bénin, Réseau Mihary, IUCN, PRCM, etc.
Eclosio, member of the 5 Deltas collective
The 5Δ collective is a voluntary group of field workers from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania, based in the Senegal, Saloum, Gambia, Casamance and Rio Cacheu river deltas and working closely with local communities.
The members of the collective share common values and an approach centred on people and the participatory, equitable and sustainable management of resources. They support grassroots communities (village associations, women’s groups, entrepreneurs, local authorities) in the development of sustainable socio-economic activities that have a positive impact on mangroves.
Discover the Mangroves.network website, a platform for sharing and capitalising on knowledge about mangroves.
The 5Δ Collective was launched in 2014; it now consists of 15 field operators (NGOs, grassroots community associations, social entrepreneurs) with a combined 50 years of experience in coastal areas, covering more than 500,000 hectares of mangroves and benefiting around 230,000 people.
text taken from the Mangroves.network website
