Meeting of environment ministers in Lomé: a new momentum for the protection of the West African coastline
Ministers and environmental authorities from West and Central Africa met in Lomé on October 10, 2024, to discuss coastal monitoring, biodiversity, and protected areas. The meeting was organized by UEMOA and included representatives from several countries and international institutions.
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Balancing Nature: How Togo’s WACA Project is Protecting Farmers and Endangered Hippos
WACA ResIP Togo project is transforming human-wildlife coexistence by creating sustainable grazing areas for endangered hippos in Togo. Through innovative conservation and community-driven solutions, farmers' crops are protected, local safety is improved, and biodiversity thrives.
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Nature-based Solutions as a Path to Coastal Resilience in West Africa: Launching the NbS Inventory and Impact Study
West Africa's coastal regions face erosion and climate change threats, but nature-based solutions (NbS) offer promising, sustainable alternatives. WACA has launched an inventory and impact study with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency to assess NbS projects, such as mangrove restoration and dune stabilization. This initiative highlights the potential of NbS for building coastal resilience while promoting biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
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Togo: 283 Hectares of mangroves reforested on the banks of Lake Zowla
The WACA ResIP-Togo's sub-project "Continuation of the preservation of natural heritage and restoration of biodiversity in the Basins of Lake Zowla" reforested 283 hectares of mangroves from 2020 to 2023. Spearheaded by the NGO Association of Togolese Volunteers for Development (AVOTODE), this initiative restored the banks of Lake Zowla, previously ravaged by deforestation for firewood.
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Modern toilets for Mrs. N'do in Aného, Togo
WACA launched a solid and liquid waste management sub-project to support households constructing Ecosan latrines that reduce the cost of building latrines for beneficiaries by 90 percent of the usual cost and have secondary uses in agriculture.
Read MoreNews & Events
West and Central African environment ministers convened in Lomé, Togo, on October 10, 2024, to…
To mitigate conflicts between humans and hippos, the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) Resilience…
West Africa's coastal regions are vital to millions of people's livelihoods, food security, and…
The management committee of the Gorée Marine…
The WACA ResIP-Togo's sub-project "Continuation of the preservation of natural heritage and…
Key Facts & Figures
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56%
Coastline in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo subject to an average erosion of 1.8 m per year
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US$1.4 billion
Cost of air, water and waste pollution cost in 2017 to Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo
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13,000 deaths
Occur in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo primarily due to floods, air and water in 2017
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$3.8 billion
The cost of erosion, flooding and pollution cost to Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo
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56% GDP
Generated by West Africa Coastal Areas
COASTAL CHALLENGES IN WEST AFRICA
Coastal erosion and flooding in West Africa severely threaten people’s communities, livelihoods, safety and investments. About 56% of West Africa’s GDP is generated in coastal provinces, where one-third of the population resides. Stronger storms and rising seas are wiping out homes, roads and buildings that have served as landmarks for generations. Some beaches are deeply mined for sand, protective mangroves are deforested, and people are increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Some residents have no choice but to move away—a trend that is breaking up communities and changing the social fabric for future generations.
Rapid and often unplanned urbanization has devastated the natural landscape that once served as a buffer for erosion and flooding. These developments disproportionately affect the poorest and most marginalized, and will intensify due to climate change. While countries have started to contain erosion and flooding, there is an urgent need for partners to mobilize financing through coordinated regional action. Collaboration at the policy and technical levels helps countries to manage erosion hotspots, and to maintain the livelihoods that a healthy coastal ecosystem provides to people and economies.
