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Wetlands for Water and Life
Expertise
Global Goal 1: Information about the status and trends of wetlands, their biodiversity and priorities for action; Global Goal 2: Mainstreaming functions and values of wetlands into sustainable development plans and approaches; Global Goal 3: Integrated water resource management and coastal zone management; Improved conservation status of species, habitats and ecological networks.
Region
Globally, with an emphasis on poverty-environment connections in Africa, Latin America and South East Asia.
Reasons to participate
Wetlands International’s livelihoods projects try to prove that nature conservation and development efforts reinforce each other – they actually need each other in order to succeed. We want to share our lessons learned as well as our good and less successful practices with others. We also want to learn from others by participating in this network about their approaches, partners and solutions.
Contact
Main contact person: Alex Kaat (+ Tel. +31 318 660910) - www.wetlands.org
Guinea Bissau:
Mangroves in frontline against climate change
Mansoa, Guinea Bissau. Government officials have launched a new mangrove project in Guinea Bissau, which will demonstrate how better management of mangrove forests can help in reducing coastal climate change impacts. The project aims to deliver the knowledge base for the development of national policies in the fight against climate change impacts. NGO Wetlands International, which is leading the project, emphasizes that this project is an example for many coastal areas in Africa and in the rest of the world.
Climate change impacts and mangroves
Coastal communities are very vulnerable to impacts from climate change. Many agricultural areas in West Africa such as in Guinea Bissau may be lost due to sea level rise and salt water intrusion. Mangrove forests have the ability to reduce these climate impacts, protecting inland areas, as the trees are a buffer against waves, help to accumulate silt and create a barrier against salt water. In Africa, as well as in other continents, many mangrove forests have been lost in the past years due to wood harvesting and reclamation for agricultural purposes.
Governmental support
The launch of the project, which also included a mangrove site visit led by the local community, was attended by the influential officials from Ministries of Environment, and Agriculture and Rural Development as they gave their keynote speeches. They strongly supported the project.
Other mangrove values
Loss of mangrove forests has had a big impact on the survival of waterbirds, on fish stocks that depend on mangrove forests and on the availability of wood for building and as a fuel.
Wetlands International Guinea Bissau
The implementer of the project, being global NGO Wetlands International through its Guinea Bissau office, has strong experience in mangrove restoration, from West Africa to Indonesia.