Protect mangroves to strengthen coastal resilience in Africa – Diene

The protection of mangroves has emerged as a critical strategy for improving the resilience of coastal communities in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire against erosion, flooding and other climate-related threats.

The Regional Project Coordinator for the Improved Resilience of Coastal Communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana project, Mouhamadou Diene, says increased community awareness and protection of mangrove ecosystems are necessary to address some of the environmental challenges confronting vulnerable coastal communities.

He explained that “the harvesting of mangroves was identified during the project's diagnostic exercise as one of the factors contributing to coastal degradation and erosion.”

Diene said mangroves served several important ecological functions beyond providing habitats for fish and other aquatic species.

According to him, “the vegetation helps to stabilize the soil and reduce soil salinization, making its protection essential to the long-term sustainability of coastal communities.”

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He therefore called for intensified sensitization of communities to discourage the destruction of mangrove areas and encourage their sustainable management.

The call was made in Accra at the third session of the Steering Committee of the Improved Resilience of Coastal Communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana project on September 10, 2026.

Meanwhile, an Associate Professor at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, Dr Luc Boerboom, has advocated greater reliance on nature-based solutions in addressing flooding and other challenges confronting coastal communities.

He said although engineering interventions remained important, natural ecosystems were often overlooked despite their ability to perform critical functions, including absorbing and managing excess water.

Dr Boerboom urged planners to avoid developing areas where nature needed space to accommodate water, noting that such areas were often biodiversity hotspots with several important ecological functions.

He said preserving these natural systems could complement engineering interventions and provide more sustainable approaches to managing climate-related risks.

The project, launched in September 2024, has so far focused on planning activities, community involvement and preparations for physical interventions, including drainage infrastructure.

Diene said procurement processes for some of the infrastructure works were at an advanced stage, with the project expected to increase its implementation rate in the coming months.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the capacity of coastal communities in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to withstand climate-related risks through improved planning, infrastructure and sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.

AM

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