Sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems
According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), Africa has lost nearly 500,000 hectares of mangroves over the last twenty-five years. Mangrove areas represent a fundamental biological resource and play a major role in the economy given the resources they provide to local populations. This wealth is declining under the combined effects of natural factors, climate change and human activity. Factors contributing to degradation include salinity, drought, overexploitation of resources, hydro-agricultural activities (rice fields), aggressive tourism, and a lack of local initiatives to protect, conserve and restore mangroves. The basic needs of local populations (food, income-generating activities from the exploitation of wood and non-wood products, fisheries, medicinal products, etc.) are therefore impacted by the decline of mangroves. Furthermore, the poorest and most vulnerable groups tend to be the most dependent on these ecosystem services.
Our action
This project is led by Uni4Coop member NGOs and follows on from a previous collaboration, Expertise Universitaire Mangroves (EU-M, mangroves.network), implemented in 2018–2019.
The project aims to improve the well-being of communities living in mangrove ecosystems and the preservation of their environment by working on the following areas: improving governance in favour of mangroves, raising awareness, strengthening knowledge and skills for the sustainable management of these ecosystems, and building the capacities of partners.
To achieve this, Uni4Coop is working with four actors of change: civil society organisations, community management committees, public authorities and agencies, and academic partners.
This project is being carried out in Senegal, Benin, Guinea and Madagascar. However, its results will benefit other mangrove areas, particularly in West Africa, thanks to the West African Marine Protected Areas Network (RAMPAO), the 5 Deltas Collective (Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal) and the Benin Gulf Deltas Collective (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo).
Summary
Duration: 2022–2026 (5 years)
Location: Senegal, Guinea, Benin, Madagascar
Eclosio’s operational partners: Carbone Guinée, Guinée Ecologie
Financial partners: DGD
Evaluations:
Below are the evaluations and managerial responses for this project:
Uni4Coop mangroves interim evaluation report – 2024
Managerial response to Uni4Coop mangroves interim evaluation – 2024