KNOWLEDGE SHEET 10A | CIVIL SOCIETY  D E VE LO PI NG W E ST A FR I CA’ S R E GI O NAL OCEAN KNOWLEDGE SHEET 10A | CIVIL SOCIETY Why is it Important to Develop West Africa’s Regional Ocean Sustainably? Engaging Civil Society on Sustainable Development of West Africa’s Ocean • The Atlantic Ocean offers many opportunities to the local coastal communities in West Africa with jobs (tourism, fishing, oil and gas, etc.) food, recreation amongst others. • The Atlantic Ocean however is under threat from natural and human effects that jeopardizes the livelihood of the local coastal population in West Africa • Fish numbers and types are reducing and import- ant ecosystems are disappearing or are being destroyed, oceans are rising and becoming more destructive. Oil spills off the coast of Mauritania in 2004 the result of intensified oil exploration. Source: APASA 2004 The Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa has a of agricultural lands in the coastal zones – caused in large bounty that has provided employment for fishermen particular by an increased salinization of the soils – coastal and women, food for families, astonishing sunsets that communities are under ever-greater pressure as more have attracted tourists and ports that have carried people move to the coast that are increasingly dependent goods resulting in economic strength for many decades. on ocean resources for their survival. However, changes in global and regional climate are resulting in rising sea levels, reduced fish numbers and This is an obvious move for people as the West African coastal ruin amongst other impacts. To compound the ocean can be a good source of income, it is estimated that situation, West African has 51% of the total West African the West African fishing industry has a total production population living on the coast. In addition, due to high value of $USD 400 million per year (FAO, 2014). Oil and population growth and the decreased productivity gas can to be extracted from offshore drilling, estimated 1 KNOWLEDGE SHEET 10A | CIVIL SOCIETY  D E VE LO PI NG W E ST A FR I CA’ S R E GI O NAL OCEAN at USD 688 million per day by 2030 in the West African Illegal and unreported fishing (catching fish without report- Ocean region (EIA 2016). The ocean also increases the ing or misreporting it to the relevant national or regional possibilities for tourism to the West African coasts, authorities) in West Africa accounts for an average loss estimated to reach 22 million in 2030 (5.4% increase) in of USD$1.3 billion per year (Africa Progress Panel, 2014). West Africa alone (UNWTO, 2011). To ensure that there These practices also reduce the amount of fish that are are opportunities for everyone living on the coast in West available for the next years, as the fish stocks do not have Africa, the ocean needs to be developed sustainably (the time to recover. Therefore illegal fishing affects the food practice of maintaining resources for the future). The ocean security and economic capability of the entire community. and coastal area need to be well managed to keep the With the increased population, new jobs would need to economic and social advantages that the ocean delivers. be found and one of those areas could be in offshore oil Action taken by local communities and awareness of the and gas exploration, however, these practices also bring challenges can aid in protecting this asset. air pollution and the ever-present risk of oil pollution, which severely threatens the marine ecosystems. Oil spills Challenges kill fish and other marine life and affect the beauty and accessibility to beaches, which reduces the number of Attracted by the abundance of the West African ocean the tourists that come to the area (see the figure on oil spills). coastal populations continue to grow. With more people Climate changes and not just human impacts also affect living in the coastal areas, there is more stress placed on the Ocean which serves West Africa. The sea level is rising, the fish and animal life through physical disruption and pol- changing the dynamics of the coast, for example in Ghana lution, resulting in the degradation or loss of habitats that the fish capture has declined steadily from 1999 to 2014 have crucial value in ecosystem services and biodiversity. by nearly 50% caused by, amongst other aspects, poor The increased population results in more people looking and constantly changing boat landing sites. Soils become to take more resources from the ocean resulting in illegal more salinized robbing farmers of their livelihood, forcing fishing practices across the coastal regions of West Africa. them to move to the coast or to Urban areas (FAO, 2016) Elmina, Ghana. Photo: Terry White 2 KNOWLEDGE SHEET 10A | CIVIL SOCIETY  D E VE LO PI NG W E ST A FR I CA’ S R E GI O NAL OCEAN WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? As a fisherman or woman it is important to follow truck that allows fishers to sell their catch at markets the regulations, quotas and sizes of fish and to not further from the village. catch fish outside of the regulations. It is also very important to report illegal or unreported fishing to By taking action and participating and working the local or regional authorities. By doing this you together with local organisations, the community are supporting the future fish types and populations, can take control of its economic future and ensure keeping the fishing sustainable. Unlike minerals and the Ocean off the coast of West Africa is developed other non-renewable resources that are extracted sustainably. from the ocean, fishing is a continual contribution to economic growth throughout the region. Other ways you can take action are through: An example from Senegal shows the way forward. • Participating in Citizen Science initiatives - ini- Along Senegal’s coast, fishing communities have tiatives where you help researchers to collect made significant progress in developing fisheries local data – on the numbers, types and sizes of management, where the communities themselves fish, this will help them to understand better the take responsibility for managing the health of their natural resources and marine environments. In changes that are taking place and how you can Ngaparou, 40 miles from Senegal’s capital Dakar, res- deal with these changes. idents worked closely with international and regional • Participating in promoting ocean conservation organizations as part of the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program to establish “co-management • Becoming an Eco-tourism champion, for example areas” run entirely by the local fishing community. in the Seychelles, poachers in a protected area The community group sets limits on the number became eco-tourist guides and a fully Seychellois of fishing boats that can fish at any one time, they team runs the Reserve where only local people also collectively register fishing boats and enforce are involved in ecotourism. These activities range quotas and fish sizes by self-policing. from small boat operators to larger tour organiza- Four years since the launch of this activity, fish tions. Other small businesses on the neighbouring stocks have completely rebounded in the commu- islands, such as shops, cargo service, mechanics, nity. Ngaparou is now one of the most productive small contractors and boatyards, also benefit coastal marine areas in the country, according to Issa from business associated with the Eco-Toursim Sagne, President of the Local Committee of Fishers (Arthurton and Korateng, 2006). of Ngaparou (CLP) (World Bank 2013). Taking action, participating in initiatives and man- As the revenue from the fishery industry has increased, employment in Ngaparou has greatly diversified. aging the environment together with the rest of the Local women have joined together to manage a community creates long lasting economic opportu- small fishing supply store. The community has also nities and helps to sustainably support West African pooled its resources to purchase a refrigerated coastal communities. 3 KNOWLEDGE SHEET 10A | CIVIL SOCIETY  D E VE LO PI NG W E ST A FR I CA’ S R E GI O NAL OCEAN REFERENCES • Africa Progress Panel (2014) Grain, fish, money: • Vasconcelos. L, Ramos Pereira. M.J, Caser. U, financing Africa’s green and blue revolutions. Africa Gonçalves. G, Silva. F, Sá. R. 2013. MARGov – Setting Progress Report 2014. the ground for the governance of marine protected areas, Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 72. • APASA. 2003. A Review of Recent Innovations and • Diop, S. et al. (eds.), The Land/Ocean Interactions in Current Research in Oil and Chemical Spill Technology, the Coastal Zone of West and Central Africa, Estuaries Australia: Asia Pacific Applied Science Associates of the World, Springer International Publishing (APASA) and The Ecology Lab Pty Ltd. RFT AMSA Switzerland 2014 No. 583/28776. Available online at: https://www.amsa.gov.au/envi- • UNWTO (World Toursim Organisation). 2011. Toursim ronment/marine-pollution-response/scientific-info/ Towards 2030: A global overview. research/documents/Spill_Technology.pdf http://www.wise.co.th/wise/Knowledge_Bank/ References/Tourism/UNWTO_Tourism_Toward_2030. • Arthurton, R. and Korateng, K., 2006. Coastal and pdf marine environments. • World Bank (2013). West Africa: Fishing Communities https://repositories.tdl.org/tamug-ir/bitstream/ Restore Health to Ocean Habitats. handle/1969.3/28973/aeo-2_ch05_COASTAL_AND_ http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/fea- MARINE_ENVIRONMENTS[1].pdf?sequence=1 ture/2013/06/05/west-africa-fishing-communi- ties-restore-health-to-ocean-habitats • FAO (2016). Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles. Ghana. Country Profile Fact Sheets. In: FAO Fisheries • FAO (2014). The Value of African Fisheries. Rome: FAO. and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Updated • Energy Information Administration (EIA). 2016. 2016. [Cited 11 June 2017]. International Energy Outlook 2016. http://www.fao.org/fishery/facp/GHA/en www.eia.gov/forecasts/ieo/pdf/0484(2016).pdf The West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA) is a convening platform that aims to assist West African countries to sustainably manage their coastal areas and enhance socio-economic resilience to the effects of climate change. The program also seeks to facilitate access to technical expertise and financial resources for participating countries. www.worldbank.org/waca 4