BOOK OF ABSTRACTS FROM WORKSHOP ON THE VULNERABILITY, ADAPTABILITY AND RESILIENCE OF COASTAL AREAS IN CENTRAL AND WEST AFRICA IN A CHANGING CLIMATE (WACA-VAR)

The coasts of Central and West Africa (CWA) are low-lying areas with rich and functional ecosystems that provide multiple services. However, population growth and economic activities—often in the form of unplanned urbanisation (building in high-risk zones, sand mining on beaches, etc.) and over-exploitation of natural resources (fishing, mangrove harvesting, etc.)—combined with climate change, are putting significant pressure on these coastal ecosystems.

As a result, CWA coastal areas are experiencing an intensification of phenomena such as coastal erosion, flooding, sea-level rise and pollution, leading to loss of human life, damage to property and infrastructure, and degradation of critical ecosystems and their resources. Several major regional-scale studies have documented the increase in these risks, amplified by rapid urban population growth and the expansion of economic activities in a changing climate. Consequently, the capacity to anticipate, plan and strategically manage development in CWA coastal zones is crucial to prevent potential risks.

To respond to the urgent need to protect the coastal zones of Central and West Africa from the combined impacts of climate change and human activities, the West African Coastal Areas (WACA) programme was initiated. This programme supports the creation of the West Africa Coastal Observatory (WARCO) and the West Africa Coastal Master Plan (SDLAO).

WARCO was established in 2018 with a mandate to:
(i) support, improve and promote scientific and technical knowledge;
(ii) provide tools for understanding and managing coastal zones; and
(iii) contribute to the establishment of an integrated and sustainable coastal policy.

The SDLAO is responsible for identifying key issues affecting coastal zones and national coastal risks within a broad framework, with emphasis on inter-state solidarity and reciprocity in coastal management. It also identifies priority coastal problems and analyses how well existing governmental instruments address these issues.

These programmes require reliable, up-to-date information that is shared and made available at different decision-making levels to improve the strategic quality of decisions relating to the development, occupation and conservation of CWA coastal zones.

In continuity with WACA, the programme “West African Coastal Areas – mapping Vulnerability, Adaptability and Resilience in a changing climate” (WACA-VAR) was launched to conduct an integrated study and develop innovative management strategies for sustainable coasts in the face of climate change, human activities and economic growth. Unlike WACA, which focused only on West African coasts, WACA-VAR also includes the coasts of Central Africa.

An International Research Network (IRN), supported by the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), was created in December 2022 to achieve the objectives of WACA-VAR. This network brings together six universities in six West and Central African countries, under the supervision of the French IRD:

• University of Douala (Cameroon)
• Université Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal)
• Université Nangui Abrogoua (Côte d’Ivoire)
• University of Cape Coast (Ghana)
• Institut de Recherches Halieutiques et Océanologiques du Bénin (Benin)
• Federal University of Technology, Akure (Nigeria)

This network aims to:
(i) improve knowledge of the current and future vulnerabilities of West and Central African coasts;
(ii) provide new data, information and tools useful to investors, local and regional stakeholders (including coastal communities); and
(iii) strengthen the capacities of local and regional actors (including postgraduate students at MSc, PhD and Postdoc levels) by training current managers, future coastal experts in Central and West Africa, and young researchers.

In addition, this research network coordinates the collection of data on the hydrodynamic and morphological characteristics of Central and West African coasts through field measurement campaigns, and the implementation and development of coastal video-camera observation systems.

This 4th edition in Côte d’Ivoire follows three previous editions held successively in Senegal, Ghana and Cameroon.