Coastal management issues in the face of the effects of global change are universal. Exchanging and pooling experience is the key to understanding them. Last December, Adrien Cheminée, our scientific director, and Carla Di Santo, our participatory science manager, flew to Kribi as part of the project to strengthen the resilience of the Manyangue Na Elombo Campo Marine Park to global change (REPAMAC) in Cameroon.
The main aim of REPAMAC, led by the African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (AMMCO) in partnership with Septentrion Environnement and the Tube Awù association, is twofold: to carry out an ecological diagnosis to gain a better understanding of the coastal and marine territory, and to build the capacities of local players, particularly the communities that are strongly committed, to achieve their objectives for the sustainable management of the Marine Park.
Two events marked this first visit. Firstly, participation in a workshop on shared governance and operational co-management in marine protected areas, during which the REPAMAC project was officially launched. And secondly, participation in the 4th edition of the “Street Whale” Congress, an annual event organized by AMMCO to reflect on strategies for the protection of marine ecosystems and the sustainable development of communities.
The mission continued in Ebodjé, in the Marine National Park, with a visit to the study sites along the coast and in the mangroves, as well as enriching exchanges between members of the partner NGOs and the strongly committed local communities.
Site identification, identification of species encountered, regulations to be taken into account and logistical aspects were some of the topics addressed during this first mission.
The team will return in April and July to train local guides of the Mayangue Na Elombo Campo Marine Park in scuba diving and carry out naturalist inventories.
This project receives financial support from the ProBioDev program managed by the IUCN French Committee.
