3rd yearWAMER INFOSJuly 2009 – January 2010

The publication of this bulletin gives me the occasion to again present my best wishes to our partners, the wishes of hap-piness, of success, and of good health in the beginning of the year 2010. 2010 is an important year for the world of conserva-tion. It is marked by large environmental events: the historical summit at Copenhagen on climate change continues to be talked about, the tenth conference of Parties of the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity is being organized, and the great earthquake that ravaged Haiti.

The environment is at the heart of all these debates. For us at WWF WAMER, 2010 marks ten years of existence in Senegal. Ten years in the service of conservation that we will celebrate in communion with the international community who declared this year the international year of biodiversity. What a beautiful and happy coincidence!

Happy reading.

Edited by Dr. Papa Samba Diouf, Coordinator of WWF WAMER

WAMER is 10 years now

Achievements and new developmentLaunching of the Cetaceans Guide The ceatcean Guide , written by the WWF WAMER, elaborated upon the subject of marine mammals in the West African waters. It was presented to researchers, people who work for the environmental and fishing ad-ministration service, the media, and partners in development at a launch ceremony. This guide, the first of its type, is detailed, has colorful photos that facilitate the easy identification of marine mammals. The group of people present at the ceremony was ecstatic about the existence of such a tool, because it provides information on marine mammals that was previ-ously unavailable. The guide was widely distributed in this region and in Europe.

The Creation of a network of radio stations on the subject of Marine Protected Areas and sustainable fishing in Senegal

The network of radio stations about Marine Protected Areas and sus-tainable fishing was christened in Joal Fadiouth last June at a workshop that reunited journalists from eight radio stations from the regions of Thies, Ziguinchor, Fatick, and St Louis. At the time of this workshop, experts of WWF and the committee who manages the MPA at Joal Fa-diouth were in contact with journalists from community radio stations on the major issues confronting the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources

Family picture

in session

Cetaceans Guide presentation

The networking of community radio stations encourages the sharing of information and experiences between the different people who look after the various MPAs in Senegal. The emissions produced by radio stations in this network are recorded at a site that serves as a bank for programs about marine resource protection. From this site the member stations can download updates and stories from other stations in the network, and then emit these stories to their community.

The Gambia: WWF extends its activities in the fishing sector.The West African office of WWF, thanks to financing from the USAID and the division’s partner-ship with the Center for Coastal Resources at the University of Rhode Island, put into the works a program for sustainable fishing in the Gambia. Spread out over five years, this program will pursue the efforts and opportunities offered by the Air Marine’s protection. Through this, the new program will affect the zones of Bijol and Niumi in the Gambia.

Cayar: the site of an experiment on effective MPA management

German’s cooperation will reinforce the management of one of the MPA’s of Senegal, Cayar, by granting funding at the request of WWF. WWF, which has helped in the creation of MPA’s in countries such as Senegal and Cape Vert, will use the MPA of Cayar as a site of experimentation for testing an approach recommended by POWPA ( Programme of work on Protected Areas). The ef-fective management of MPA’s is one of the largest challenges in the region of sub-Saharan Africa.

A National strategy for MPA’s in SenegalSenegal pursues its efforts for the better management of its marine and coastal environ-ment and the better management of aquatic resources. Since 2004 Senegal has started the process for the creation of MPAs thanks to the support of NGO’s such as WWF. Thus five MPAs are seen: Joal Fadiouth, Cayar, St Louis, Abéné, and Bamboung. These com-munity based marine protected areas are now on their feet, and similar initiatives con-tinue in the country. So that these tools for managing biodiversity can have the ex-pected impact, it would be good for a coherent global approach to be adopted. This is why the WWF is engaged on the side of the government for equipping the country with a national strategy for the MPAs. A meeting to create such an approach was held on the 22nd of January at the Direction of Marine Fish and a technical committee was formed

MAIN ACTIVITIESWWF evaluates the management of MPAs in the Gambia and in Senegal

The Gambian and Senegalese authorities now know what to do for better management of their protected areas. This is thanks to the tool used to measure the effectiveness of management in protected areas (RAPPAM). The organization of workshops on RAPPAM (Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Areas Management) reunited the managers of marine reserves and community members in each of the two countries. These workshops were held to identify the biological and socio-economic importance of protected areas, their degrees of vulnerability, and the threats and obstacles to which protected areas in the two countries face. These activities have been carried out within the framework of the project financed by the MAVA Foundation.

The Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen: WWF WAMER’s advocacy in Africa.

WWF WAMER has actively contributed to the negotiations on the climate before and during the summit of Copenhagen. The African coordinator of the “Global Deal Network Initiative”, Madam Hawa Sow, participated in the large international meetings precluding the Summit at Copenhagen and, naturally, strongly supported the African delegation at the summit. She lobbied the ministers of the environment of nearby African nations to pass a plan in accord with agenda of the WWF, an agenda which fit in well with the position that was commonly displayed by the African group. This position called for a reduction of greenhouse gases by 40%, an agreement that would be legally binding, and a sustainable mechanism for funding this program. She had also, with the help of the communication department, contributed to an awareness campaign to strengthen the capacity of the Senegalese media on climate change through education and visits to the country. An advertisement on the consequences of climate change was also emitted on the popular radio stations in Senegal, in both French and Wolof.

RAPPAM openning ceremony in Ngor Diarama

Hawa Sow discussing with Senegalese President Me Abdoulaye Wade

WWF WAMER pleads for the respect of com-mitments under the CBD

The WWF’s office of the marine program for West Africa, thanks to financing from the MAVA foundation, unfurled a program aiding the implementation of the CBD. With this agreement, the countries have taken on noteworthy commitments with respect to the Program of Work on the Protected Areas (POWPA). WWF WAMER participated in the meeting at Abidjan (October 6, 2009), which was held to review implementation of the work program on protected areas. The different topics discussed at this meeting focused on the implementation of the CBD on the re-gion in which WAMER has worked. A meeting of WWF WAMER was organized in Guinea on the sixth through ninth of January in 2010 at a workshop on the review of the implementation of POWPA. It has equally supported creating a national cell that follows POWPA and develops a procedure in accordance with the National Direction of Biological Diversity in Protected Areas.

The evaluation of fishing agreements in Guinea BissauAs part of the of the Project for strengthening the regional capacities of fish management West Africa (RECARGAO), implemented by the WWF, the UICN, and the CSRP, an evaluation of the fishing agreements that Guinea Bissau signed with the European Union was conducted throughout the month of January 2010. This evaluation showed certain limits to the agreements, notably the absence of statistics concerning artisanal fishing in Guinea Bissau and activities of European Union tuna fishing boats.

The creation of an alliance for sustainable fishing in Senegal

For the fishing crisis that Senegal has known for many years, the problems lie in the over exploitation of marine re-sources, in a reduction of the profitability of fishing, and in problems with management. To face this situation, it is imperative that the efforts of all the actors in this sector are combined. It is for this goal that a Fishing Alliance has been created.

On Thursday, November 26, 2009, under the impetus of the WWF and the Minister of the Maritime Economy, Marine Fishing and Transport, a General Assembly was held to found “The Alliance for Sustainable Fishing in Senegal”. This alliance is to be directed by the Office of Marine Fishing, under the presidence of Dr. Papa Namsa KEITA, Director of Marine Fishing.

The Alliance aggregates the technical services of the administration, the partners in development, the socio-profes-sional organizations of fishing as well as the NGO’s (national and international) that are active in the management of fishing in Senegal.

The objectives of this alliance are:- The creation of a space for serious and political dialogue. - To make more consistent the political interventions in the fishing sector. - The sharing of information.- Arousing people’s interests in the fishing and aquaculture sectors. - The promotion of sustainable aquaculture.- The promotion of good fishing practices- The conservation of aquatic ecosystems- The contribution of fish to the Grand Agricultural Offensive for Food and Abundance (GOANA)- Advice in support of the political intervention in the sectors of fishing and of aquaculture.- The support of the activities and initiatives in the private sector and the local actors in the sector.

For this alliance, a national bureau of seven members, presided upon by Dr. Papa Samba DIOUF, Regional Coordina-tor of WAMER, was elected.

A plan of action was developed to make the Alliance operational, and to render it capable of fulfilling its role. This plan of action was translated into a project that will be submitted to financial partners.

Reinforcing the hygiene and quality capacities to ensure the agreement in Sierra Leone and Cape VerdeTo export fishery products to countries in the European Union, African countries must follow the agreements created by the European Union. This approval, a guarantee of the hygiene and quality of the products, is renewed after as-sessments by inspectors from the European Union for the countries in question. One of the conditions required by the European Union to countries requesting the approval is to have qualified staff inspect and describe the products in terms of quality and hygiene. And since Sierra Leone has not yet received such approval, as a prelude to the EU mission WWF WAMER provided training from the 5th through the 8th of January in “risk analysis including hygiene and safety of fishery products” to officers of the fisheries administration, the private sector and professional fishery organizations of Sierra Leone.

WWF WAMER on track for WWF international standardsConsistency, efficiency and accuracy are required for the development and management of projects in the WWF network. To this end, WWF has developed what it calls ‘the standards’, which are a roadmap to fol-low in the field for better planning, design, budgeting, communica-tion and funding of projects. The staff of WWF WAMER was trained on ‘the standards’ at a conference held from January 6th through 8th in Dakar. Alfonso Lombana, of the WWF U.S, oversaw these meetings

In Cape Verde, the industries controlling the exportation of fishery products have also benefited from some training. This was done in anticipation of the inspection conducted by the EU to assess the quality and competence of inspec-tors. This is an important initiative, for it will determine success or failure of the agreement for Cape Verde.

On the same subject in Senegal, WWF WAMER signed a contract with a local radio station in Mbour for the broadcast of a weekly radio program about the hygiene, traceability and eco-labeling of fishing products. The site of Nianing in Mbour is a test site for the eco-labeling project. Through disseminating in-formation about hygiene and eco-labeling, this radio program is strengthening the capacities of fishermen, fish traders, women who process the fish, and the administration officials.

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Boat on Pointe Sarene beach (Senegal)

Balancing the use of hydrocarbons and the conservation of the environment

The frantic search for oil deposits, offshore gas, and mines, and the ensuing exploitation of these resources has indeed become one of the major environmental threats facing the marine environment in West Africa. Because of this, WWF WAMER in conjunction with PRCM is implementing a project related to hydrocarbons and gas. This project is pleading nearby governmental authorities, the private sector, and organizations of civil society to consider the environment when exploiting these resources, out of concern for humanity. For this, WWF WAMER is promoting the use of strate-gic environmental assessments, which allow for coherent policies of development, and intervention in various sectors. As part of its plea, the WWF has produced a series of articles on the exploitation of oil and the issues it creates (in brochures and descriptive pamphlets), and has held workshops on these strategic environmental assessments to strengthen the efforts of those involved. A regional workshop was held in Senegal and another in Mauritania with the general public of the two respec-tive countries. Two scholarships have been granted: one in Guinea Bissau and another in Guinea to study the effects of the exploitation of hydrocarbons. WWF works on this project in partnership with OECD, the World Bank, and the Netherlands Commission for the environmental impact.

The environment as seen by children. People say the environment is everyone’s business. Today when one talks about this one thinks of future generations, our children, and how they see and perceive the environment. The views that they hold on the environment are the subject of documentaries such as the Esperanto project, which in a novel way is seeking to raise awareness of envi-ronmental issues in children. The creators of this project have chosen children from Britain, Guadeloupe, Morocco and Senegal. In Senegal, in partnership with WWF, they chose Joal Fadiouth.

Discussion in Joal-Fadiouth bethween WWF WAMER (Christian Faye), Espéranto project, and Karim Sall ( Joal-Fadiouth ‘s MPA )

Joal Fadiouth ‘s mangrove

The six members of Esperanto left Britain in August of 2009 onboard their catamaran sailing ship, intending to educate children about protecting water resources and aquatic ecosystems. At each of the four locations, Britain, Morocco, Senegal and Guadeloupe, the team shot a short film of the students to be compiled into the “Adventures of Esperanto.” Meanwhile, the audio-visual team shot a documentary on perspectives the children had about environmental problems in their country.

In Senegal, the issue concerning the destruction of mangroves was raised. The site chosen: Joal-Fadiouth, and during the three weeks the class CM1 from St. Theresa (a class chosen after a long and meticulous selection), went to discover the mangroves throughout the area and discover the animals that live there. Throughout thefilming, the children were not only able to pinpoint the threats to this resource, but they also managed to highlight the solutions that could be taken to preserve this wealth. The students of St. Theresa’s excursion ended with an after-noon of sharing newfound knowledge and their past adventures with all the other students at their school. At the program there was an exhibition of sketches, songs and poems dedicated to the mangrove. After the Senegalese stage, the Esperanto team made a stop at the islands of Cape Verde before crossing the Atlantic towards Guadalupe.

Team building session

Building a team to successfully face the conservation challenge

WWF WAMER organized last January for the second time in two years a team building workshop. Thus the whole WWF WAMER staff met for 4 days in a place so convenient for reflection and dialogue in the small coast. This workshopaimed at reinforcing ties, cohesion and solidarity among the staff. So the staff agreed and shared this vision “ hand in hand, like rivers and estuaries enriching our ocean , our ef-forts and energies lead to the same ideal to build with passion and commitment a Wamer subregion where men, women et children totally freed from the anxieties of poverty and thehazardous quest for better future, live in harmo-ny with a sound and productive nature”. For that vi-sion to be well translated into action, it has to be supported by the unanimously accepted values;

1. Self sacrifice

2. Passion

3. loyalty/sincerity

4. Professionalism

5. self respect and respect of others

6. Equity

7. Humility

8. Discipline

These values that make the difference in the implementation of our tasks are displaced in the office so that the staff always have them in mind.

25 million U.S. dollars to boost sustainable tourism in Cape Verde

They restructured the strategy for the development of sustainable tourism. They estimated a 25 million U.S. dollar budget necessary to achieve such a goal. These commitments were made after a three-day workshop held in Praia from the 26th through the 28th of January 2010 and were organized by WWF WAMER in partnership with the General Management of Tourism in Cape Verde and with support of the Mava Foundation through the project “Protected for a Living Planet.”

“We are committed to sustainable tourism as one of our major focuses of the tourism plan. For this we need the commitment of public and private sectors, NGOs and development partners. We are in our present state after two months from tangible results of this program, which is a project dedicated to monitoring the coastal biodiversity of Cape Verde,” said Carlos Pires Ferreira, General Director of Tourism. “The workshop and the partnership are milestones in which the government, industry and community have engaged in to see how their efforts can be boosted and incorporated into an argument and a calls for bilateral agencies, multilateral agencies and donors to join their efforts,” according to Dr. Arona Soumare, WWF WAMER. “We must maintain this momentum and ensure that not only us but our children will enjoy the uniqueness of the biodiversity and culture of Cape Verde,” said Vanessa Perez-Cirera, coordinator of WWF’s global strategy on tourism and coastal conservation.

Cape Verde is committed to sustainable tourism, one of their pillars of economic growth. To this end, the Ministry of Tourism, WWF WAMER, the Ministry of Environment, hotels and associations of tours, municipalities, international organizations and NGOs at the base have formed a partnership.

Cape Verde is an island north in the Atlantic Ocean with more than 1,000 km of coastline where 20% of the population lives on less than $1.25 per day. Most of Cape Verde consists of dreamy landscapes. The local culture is still intact and there is much land speculation along the coast, which makes it a prime location for the development of tourism.

Regarding biodiversity, the country is one of the most important centers of endemic species worldwide (11th place) and the second largest nesting site for loggerhead turtles in the north Atlantic. It is also an important area for the reproduc-tion and rearing of humpback whales. Pressure from poorly regulated tourism could be a serious threat to the many advantages that make its charm.

In recent years the government has established its first national plan for tourism, which has also been an important step towards the creation of a system of connected protected areas.

For now, Cape Verde has declared 60,000 ha (47 sites) of its territory as land-protected areas, and 47 marine areas. Only two land-protected areas have a management plan and are well demarcated. Thus, unless the limited budgets and human resources in public institutions are strengthened, it will take a long time before this system is operational. The partnership will establish clear strategic aims centering on the acceleration and support for developing a range of land use management plans for protected areas. These strategic aims will also focus on orientating and integrating these pro-tected areas into the plans for economic development and hope to increase the amount that the local economy benefits from tourism.

FOCUSSustainable resource management and conflict prevention:

Fishermen from Guet Ndar and the Imraguens reaffirm their relationships and share experiences. From the 9th throught 12th of November 2009, an exchange visit of the Management Committee of the Marine Protected Area of St. Louis in Senegal was held at the Parc National du Banc d’Arguin in Mauritania. This visit helped to forge links between the two parks and prevented fisheries conflicts that could arise between the two countries. The Management Committee of the MPA of St. Louis had the opportunity to see how the Imraguenof Banc d’Arguin use tools of sustainable fishing that do not threaten the sustainability of the resource (use of non-motorized canoes, respecting fishing areas, use of gear regulations ,...). They could also inquire how fishery products were processed and what the various sales channels for the flow of these products were. They also could seek the means of surveillance used in the CMPA (collaboration between local com-munities, park managers and the Navy).

The links between the Imraguen and fishing communities of St. Louis have to consider a return exchange visit to St. Louis for the benefit of fishermen Imraguen of PNBA.

Important recommendations were made after the exchange visit to strengthen ties between fishermen of both countries and exchange of data on fisheries resources. In addition, it was recommended to managers in both parks to facilitate the trans-fer of know-how.

Boat

Mallé Diagana explaining in PNBA

An exchange visit between the actors of the MPA of Santa Luzia in Cape Verde a MPA of Senegal is currently being planned and organized. WWF WAMER is conducting dis-cussions with various parties to decide an appropriate loca-tion for the MPA and the date of the visit.

Family picture, St Louis MPA, WWF, and PNBA

Inner Life of WAMERDepartures and Arrivals

The life cycle of an institution is often rhythmic in departures and arrivals, in the course of the year 2009, Mantane Diop, who for 5 years has been managing the financial and administrative department of WWF WAMER, left to join the orga-nization, Save the Children, he was joined by Ricardo from WWF WAMER in Cape verde, who joined the UNDP, is. We wish them great success in their new endeavors.

We also wish to welcome those who joined us and now bring a new dynamic to WWF WAMER. They are: Mallé Diagana, who is in charge of the new project CBD of MAVA. He is from Mauritania where he worked for the National Park of Diawling; Yvon Charles Rocha, program officer at the office of Cape Verde, Mamadou Gaye, financial support of our activities in the Gambia and Ousmane Drammeh, project coordinator on fisheries in the Gambia Banafa, Mrs. Diallo Faguèye, replacing Mantane Diop at the head as the Director of Administration and Finance. She knows the conservation community well, having worked for IUCN for many years.

Mrs. Soukeye Gueye, a sociologist by training, has good knowledge and expe-rience of the private sector, is responsible for the new program involving the private sector and community to replace Ms. Hawa Sow, promoted WWF Africa coordinator for the Global Deal Network Initiative on climate change . WWF WAMER has set up a new department of communication, marketing and fundraising whose leader is Birima Fall.

Good luck with your new positions.

The team WAMER regrets to inform you of the death of Abdoulaye Diawara an anchor of the WWF WAMER in Casamance. May the good Lord welcome him into eternal paradise. Rest in peace

Ousmane Drammeh

Mallé Diagana

Fagueye Diallo

Soukeye Gueye

Hawa Sow

CAMPAIGNSave NiokoloWWF WAMER and Environment Research Group and Press (GREP) have begun a campaign to save the largest park in Senegal, Niokolo (with an area of 913000Ha). This park has been a World Heritage Site since 2007, but it is now ranked on the list of the world heritage sites in danger. Al-though it offers a real potential for tourism, with the gradual disappearance of animal and plant spe-cies, difficulties in development and management of rivers and habitats, and the lack of park staff on the grounds, Niokolo is like a dying child. The campaign began with a press visit for 30 journalists from the national press (print, radio, television, online) visiting the park to talk with park staff and local residents. Many articles have been published through press reports and audiovisual broadcasts. GREP is currently editing a magazine and a documentary film on Niokolo to promote advocacy with the goal of saving Niokolo.

GREP, agents of Parc and WWF WAMER

agents of Parc

agents of Parc

YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Office

Print double-sided with the option fast / draft, and the printer will use less ink; Set up a collection of used paper and use the back of the printed paper for new sheets; Favor the using paper mail for your communication.

House

For unplugging pipes, try to use a plunger or boiling vinegar. If that doesn’t work, unscrew the pipe to clean it, because oftentimes you can find a solution to the problem without using toxic chemicals.

Source http://www.zone-ecolo.com/dossier.php

Grow a gardenAn experiment in micro gardening out of the ground is up and running at the locations of WWF WAMER in Dakar; in effect so that the gardener, Thiam, can produce a steady supply of vegetables (cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, mint, parsley). In our discussion he assured us that the produce is totally organic and the fertilizers 100% non-chemical. It must be said that the first year of this experiment has satisfied the cooks at the office and supplied 40% of their monthly provisions. The coordinator of this project, Awa Ndiaye, and the gardener hope that in the near future the garden will be able to satisfy all of the vegetable needs of WWF WAMER

For more information, please contactthe Commucation department

Birima FALL: bfall@wwfsenegal.org,Armelle NYOBE : anyobe@wwfsenegal.org.

© Régis L’Hortis, WWF WAMERMicro garden