Report on the 11th PRCM Forum

by Taej Mundkur, WCFCG Facilitator

The PRCM is an active Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation in West Africa that brings together the governments of Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The PRCM is one of the founding partners of the World Coastal Forum Partnership launched in September 2023.

It was a great pleasure for the WCF Facilitators Group to be invited by Dr Ahmed Senhoury, Executive Director of the PRCM Secretariat to, and supported to participate in, the 11th Forum of the PRCM with the theme of "Conservation, resilience and sustainable development of the West African coastline in the face of global change" that was held in in Guinea Bissau between 22-26 April 2024.

The forum was formally opened by General. Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló, President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau. The meeting provided a perfect opportunity to share information and updates and discuss issues of common interest through a series of high-level segments, plenaries, parallel workshops and meetings. Talks focussed on conservation and management of coastal resources for the benefit of people and biodiversity, ensuring livelihoods of coastal communities, dealing with challenges from overexploitation by illegal commercial fishing and bottom trawling, and petrochemical developments within coastal areas, successes in community-based mangrove restoration, awareness raising, capacity building and need for climate change linked adaptation and increased financing for coastal resilience.

Opening Session of the 11th Forum of the PRCM in Bissau

Over 400 participants representing all the governments of the PRCM region and beyond, experts, global and regional development agencies and NGOs participated. Representatives of WCF partners attending included BirdLife International, IUCN, PRCM, Wetlands International and WWT and many played key roles in organising, facilitating and contributing to the sessions.

I was honored to presented an update on the World Coastal Forum and growing partnership and a sneak preview of the new coastal salt marsh restoration guidelines that have been developed by Wetlands International & the University of Cambridge Conservation Evidence team with the WCF. There was great interest expressed by the participants to learn more about ways to interact and contribute to the WCF.

Dr Taej Mundkur, WCF CG Facilitator presenting an introduction of the WCF to the forum

A special launch for an IUCN landmark 2024 publication - State of West African Marine Protected Areas 2022 was held, a publication that has been brought together through major international input and consultation. The report highlights the urgency for conservation action and capacity building for management and restoration of these important coastal and marine protected areas.

The meeting offered an excellent chance to support our PRCM partner and to learn more about the priorities and opportunities to interact with countries of West Africa to conserve and restore coastal ecosystems and the potential opportunities for the WCF to collaborate and support ongoing efforts.