KNOWLEDGE SHEET 9A | CIVIL SOCIETY  SU STA I NA BLE U SE O F RESOURCES KNOWLEDGE SHEET 9A | CIVIL SOCIETY Preserving the Coastal and Marine Environment: What Does it Mean and How Can You Help? Engaging Civil Society on coastal and marine preservation 200 to over 400 per year over the past two decades, affecting especially the coastal areas of West Africa (Cohen et al 2010) • Waste generation has increased by 5 fold per person in West Africa as consumption increases, however only 40% of this waste is collected – the increased waste accumulation damages the environment and prevents it from protecting local populations from storms and climate change in coastal areas. Houses washed away by rising sea levels in Togo. Photo credit UNEP • In areas where there is constant coastal erosion, the people have lost some of their shrines, gods, sacred groves or even burial grounds • Researchers have found that disasters trig- to the sea thus significantly affecting their gered by natural hazards have forced 191,000 cultural activities. people in West Africa from their homes in • Crop growing periods in West Africa may 2015 (IDMC 2016, page 10). Many displaced shorten by an average of 20% by 2050, causing from coastal areas to rising seas and flooding, a 40% decline in cereal yields and a reduction while others move towards the coasts as rural in cereal biomass for livestock, this forces more farming areas suffer. people to move to the coastal areas where there • The trend is getting worse in that recorded nat- are potentially more jobs, putting more stress ural disasters have doubled from approximately on coastal resources (Zougmoré et al 2016). 1 KNOWLEDGE SHEET 9A | CIVIL SOCIETY  SU STA I NA BLE U SE O F RESOURCES West African coasts are rich in natural resources therefore it of the Akosombo hydroelectric dam it resulted in higher is no surprise that coastal communities have for generations intensity coastal erosion and flooding along the entire lived off the land and the sea taking advantage of these Keta coast particularly in the eastern parts of the coastal abundant natural resources for health, food and economic strip. The persistent erosion resulted in the displacement activities. The coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, of the coastal communities, the destruction of domestic, provide important breeding grounds for fish and the commercial, educational, historical (fort), cultural edifices mineral deposits that have helped to build the thriving and infrastructures as well as the siltation of the lagoon coastal cities, trade, commerce and economic development basin, including perennial flooding of farms and a reduction in the area. However, this once abundant land is under in farmlands. The community in particular was unable to threat from Climate Change, a rising sea level, beach respond to the situation by themselves, the only strategy erosion, etc. Human activities are also affecting the adopted was a ‘do nothing’ and in some instances a functioning and integrity of the environment, the water ‘retreat’ (involving relocation) approaches. The Keta sea supplies, agriculture, fishing, mangroves and the available wall was built but it does not allow ships to dock which beach areas that the tourists flock to visit. This all directly has affected the commercial activity. impacts on the health of families in the community and Furthermore, human activities directly affect local coastal potentially the family income, a healthy environment can ecosystems for example industrial and domestic pollution control itself and can help coastal communities to cope from the city of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, home to 3.5 million with any changes in climatic conditions. Local people and inhabitants and 60 per cent of the country’s industry (GEF, communities can take action to preserve the coastal and 2002), have affected the Ebrié Lagoon mangroves which marine environments to ensure the environment continues have disappeared as a result. The consequence is the to function well into the future. reduction of the storm barrier that these forests offer and the removal of the breeding ground for many fish. Apart from human activities that can worsen natural phenomenon, climate changes are already affecting local coastal communities. For example, a local villager from the coastal town of Nsiamfumu, Muanda in the DRC gives an idea of the impact of rising seas and coastal degradation have on a coastal community. “Our ancestors brought us to the coastal areas to exploit the resources the ocean offers, but with the increasing impacts of climate change and the threats it poses on our families and our livelihoods, we are forced to retreat inland and to leave our ancestor’s lands.” (UNDP, 2016). These rising oceans also cause sea water intrusion into the underground water supplies which makes the water too salty for crop irrigation. Percentage of newly displaced people in Africa due to natural hazards in WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? 2015. West Africa accounts for 17% of the African continents displacement (IDMC 2016). You can take action and work with local NGOs to preserve the environment and to protect your Challenges livelihood. For example the Gulf of Guinea Large Marine Ecosystem Project undertook a pilot The impacts on the environment due to climate change mangrove restoration project facilitated by NGOs and human activities can have a direct bearing on your in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria coastal community. For example human activities in the and Cameroon from 1995 to 2000. The project Volta Region in Ghana have impacted significantly the local involved many local organisations including coastal communities. The Keta area has a very low-lying topography with loose sediments. With the construction 2 KNOWLEDGE SHEET 9A | CIVIL SOCIETY  SU STA I NA BLE U SE O F RESOURCES the local community with fisheries ecology, 2. Sustainable Natural Resource Management physical environmental processes incorporating and Conservation activities such as pollution prevention, socio- 3. Fuel-efficient cook stoves economic management aspects and governance. The project showed how coastal pollution and 4. Alternative livelihood training for the living marine resources respect no political surrounding communities boundaries and therefore a large-scale concerted, international, holistic and community lead In all, a total of 30 participants (from three fringe approach for assessment and control can help communities (Akosua village, Mankoadze village to restore coastal ecological processes (UNEP- and Biwadze) were trained in: GPA, 2006). • Establishing Nurseries • Sustainable natural resource management Furthermore to avoid polluting the local environment, household waste can be managed • Alternative livelihoods (snail and grass-cutter by having it collected and treated. This will help rearing) by reducing the waste in rivers that affect many The participants were given start-up capital in the aspects such as making flood impacts worse or form of a revolving fund to start their alternative damaging the mangrove forests. Waste collection livelihood enterprises. The results have been and other coastal management aspects can be impressive, 7.5 ha of degraded mangrove area managed in a collective way by working together along the Muni Lagoon at Akosua village were with the local government, local businesses and replanted late 2013 and mid 2014. There were other communities (this is called Integrated additional plantations of 3,500 seedlings of fire Coastal Zone Management - ICZM). Teachers resistant tree species planted over a 1km stretch and educators can also play a strong role in along the Pratu River. This has resulted in a raising awareness of the situation and to also recovery of the mangrove forests and increased receive training on ICZM, agricultural and fisheries protection from storms and flooding in the Muni- management in coastal regions. Pomadez Ramsar area and increased business opportunities for the local community. Communities can plan new trees and look ater existing plants that are local to the area, this will Although huma n a nd na tura l impa ct s help the environment to recover and to ensure can negatively affect the environment and that the “services” that the environment offers subsequently the livelihood of the community, the local community are preserved. An example action can be taken and positive changes can of this is taken from the communities of Muni- take place as these examples show. Pomadze Ramsar located in Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana who got involved in a Joint Community Mangrove Restoration Program. The local surrounding communities of the Muni- Pomadze Ramsar area collaborated together with the Ghana Chapter of A Rocha International and the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, in an effort to restore the degraded mangrove forests of this site. The “Community Mangrove Restoration Project” has four main components: 1. Conservation education and awareness creation 3 KNOWLEDGE SHEET 9A | CIVIL SOCIETY  SU STA I NA BLE U SE O F RESOURCES REFERENCES • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC). • UNEP-GPA. 2006. Global Marine Litter Information 2014. Predictions of Sea-Level Rise. https://www. Gateway. Gulf of Guinea Large Marine Ecosystem ipcc.ch/pdf/unfccc/cop19/3_gregory13sbsta.pdf Project. http://marine-litter.gpa.unep.org/ frame- • Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). work/region-10-next.htm. (accessed 11 July 2006) 2016. Africa Report on Internal Displacement. http:// • Zougmoré, R., Partey, S., Ouédraogo, M., Omitoyin, www.internal-displacement.org/assets/publica- B., Thomas, T., Ayantunde, A., Ericksen, P., Said, M. tions/2016/2016-Africa-Report/20161209-IDMC-Af- rica-report-web-en.pdf and Jalloh, A., 2016. Toward climate-smart agriculture in West Africa: a review of climate change impacts, • McMichael AJ et al. Climate change and human adaptation strategies and policy developments for health: risks and responses. Geneva, World Health the livestock, fishery and crop production sectors. Organization, 2003. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/pub- Agriculture & Food Security, 5(1), p.26. lications/2003/9241590815.pdf • UNDP. 2016. Climate change on Africa’s west • Cohen, Roberta and Megan Bradley. 2010. “Disasters c o a s t . h t t p : / / w w w. a d a p t a t i o n - u n d p . o rg / and Displacement: Gaps in Protection.” Journal of oceans-fortune-oceans-peril-0 International Humanitarian Legal Studies 1(1):95–142. 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