10%

Mangrove rehabilitation initiative fuels hope

GEF-FAO-Coastal Fisheries Initiative

By IW:LEARN

June 2^nd, 2021

GEF IW:LEARN World Oceans Day 2021 Special Issue

The original article was published on 9 April 2021, and can be viewed on the CFI webpage.

In Senegal, the Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) sets out to safeguard fish dependent communities in and around the Siné Saloum Delta. 175 hectares of mangrove ecosystems were sustainably managed in 2020 and the same area was restored in the West African nation of Côte d'Ivoire.

The Initiative is investing in degraded mangrove plantations so that they can become productive again, but also so that water can be saved or replenished, coastal erosion stopped, and people’s livelihoods protected.

Female oyster harvesters in the Delta are one such group: “My job is to harvest oysters and arches. We go to look for oysters in the mangroves to feed our families and for business. This is how I make a living,” said the President of the Women Transformers Group of Diamniadio Fatou Sarr.

Entrepreneurs like Sarr are active participants in the quest to save natural habitats, which are the breeding grounds for the fish species local communities depend on.

“If I work for two to three days, I can earn money to cover my expenses. 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,” Sarr said of her local fishing community.

The CFI is a collaborative effort, bringing together international conservation agencies as well as UN organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and FAO to foster climate-friendly activities, while strengthening fisheries value chains.

Overfishing a menace to the mangroves

Mangrove soils have multi-faceted functions. They act as effective carbon sinks, locking away large quantities of carbon and stopping it from entering the atmosphere. The Project Coordinator for the UNEP/Abidjan Convention, Yacoub Issola makes the case: “One of the functions of the mangroves is to stabilize the soil.”

“If today, we do not reforest the mangroves, under this soil, the rainfall and the various activities will erode the bases. And, once those bases are gone, this soil will become barren, and nothing will be able to grow. Secondly, all the carbons trapped by the mangroves will be remobilized and released back into the atmosphere,” added Issola.

The Abidjan Convention provides an important framework through which national policy makers and resource managers implement control measures in the protection and development of the marine and coastal environment of the West and Central African Region (WACAF).

The magic of mangroves extends to acting as nursery grounds for fish, as barriers against storms and as sources of wood for building and cooking.

The CFI’s action to stop them from disappearing involves informing local people on the importance of nurturing a landscape in which biodiversity can flourish.

Lady drying fish in Saloum Delta. Photo credit: FAO/Yacine Cissé

Fostering a robust marine economy

The Department of Foundiougne is a main hub on the Siné Saloum river in the Fatick Region, further south in the Delta.

Birama Diouf lives and works here: “At night I fish for shrimp, by day I catch other sorts of fish. The shrimp fishing works well. Especially at this time of the year when they are plentiful,” he explained.

“The fish will always find refuge in the mangroves. The prawns also take refuge there. Shrimp feed off the mangroves bark and leaves,” he added.

Fishers like Diouf are not the only ones championing sustainable fisheries in the zone. Fatou Ndong Sarr is the President of the Local Federation of Economic Interest Groups which helps harvest fish from the mangrove area, preparing stocks for consumption while also scaling-up the use of by-products such as honey.

“We have a processing unit for shellfish products. We manage the entire production process here, from receiving the raw materials through to processing and packaging, we have about 20 women working with us,” she said.

The Federation based in Niodior – an island on the Saloum Delta – invests to make sure women can earn a sustainable living from mangroves and the fish found in their ecosystems.

“Senegal is a fishing country, but there are difficulties in terms of management and planning. Our national resources justify strong partnerships. The next steps are mainly to assist fisheries stakeholders to maximise their marketing potential,” said the CFI’s National Coordinator in Senegal Mamadou Seye, who is also a representative from the ministry in charge of the country’s fisheries sector.

As the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) gets going, the CFI and its’ partners are making firm strides to enhance healthy mangrove ecosystems and their production capacities.

Birama Diouf lives and works on the Siné Saloum river in the Fatick Region. Photo credit: FAO/Yacine Cissé

About the Coastal Fisheries Initiative

The Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) is a global effort to preserve marine resources and ensure that coastal fisheries can continue to play their crucial role in society, contributing to food security, as well as economic and social development.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and implemented by FAO, the initiative rallies UN agencies and international conservation organizations behind the common goal of promoting the sustainable use and management of coastal fisheries, championing innovative approaches to improve governance and strengthening the seafood value chain.

For more information contact the Program Manager, Fatou Sock (Fatou.Sock@fao.org). Additional resources can be found on the project website and on the project page of iwlearn.net.

Footnotes

Cover photo credit: FAO/Yacine Cissé, 2021

FootNotes

Cover photo credit: FAO/Yacine Cissé, 2021

© 2026 IW:LEARN

IW:LEARN 2025 reflections

Looking back at our highlights and achievements

Seeds of change

Seven grassroot actions receive $350,000 to protect the SEA

FishEBM projects contribute to report on Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries

The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2025 highlights unprecedented progress in sustainability and science-based management

GEF 7 Coral Reef Rescue Project

2025 Highlights

NB-ITTAS in 2025:

Conjunctive water resources management, and transboundary cooperation

ATSEA Program in 2025:

A Year of Transition, Learning and Progress

Story Told With

Start publishing stories like this

Loading, please hold on.