The Coastal Fisheries Initiative is restoring species-rich ecosystems to support local communities in Senegal

FAO 24/05/2021

Figure: Mangrove forests offer a multitude of benefits: they serve as nursery grounds for fish, barriers against storms, stabilizers of soils and sinks for carbon dioxide, making them crucial to fighting climate change. ©FAO/Yacine Cissé

“We go to look for oysters in the mangroves to feed our families and for business. This is how I make a living. If I work for two to three days, I can earn money to cover my expenses,” says Fatou Sarr, President of the Women Transformers Group of Diamniadio, a cooperative and producers’ organization that supports small-scale oyster producers.

Entrepreneurs like Fatou are on a quest to save natural habitats, like the species-rich mangroves located in the Siné Saloum Delta – a UNESCO World Heritage site – in central Senegal. These biodiverse environments are the breeding grounds for the fish and marine species on which local communities depend.

“In the mangroves, we find many varieties of fish. We Niominka, know the importance of the mangroves, that's why we don't destroy them,” Fatou said of her local fishing collective made up of people from Senegal’s third largest indigenous group, the Niominka. Mangroves are sacred to them, and they are committed to protecting their heritage for both social and financial reasons.

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The importance of mangroves and local ecosystems are becoming more widely appreciated with initiatives like the CFI and the Abidjan Convention, an important framework which helps national policy makers and resource managers implement protection measures in developing marine and coastal environments of west and central Africa.

As the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) gets going, the CFI, FAO and its partners are enhancing healthy mangrove ecosystems and their production capacities, restoring local habitats for the benefit of communities and the planet.

See more: http://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1396570/