Côte d’Ivoire State of the Marine Environment (SoME) report – Responses to the concerns of customary authorities in the coastal regions of Côte d’Ivoire
In recent decades, Côte d’Ivoire has been confronted with several environmental challenges. These are generated by the intensity of the interactions of natural factors (climate change, coastal erosion, flooding, etc.) and anthropogenic (migrations, industrialization, urbanization and uncontrolled occupation of coastal areas).
The Ivorian State, aware of the need for sustainable management of its marine and coastal ecosystem, has therefore signed, adhered to and/or ratified a number of international conventions, agreements and treaties relating to the environment, the marine and coastal environment and sustainable development. These include the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
As part of its commitments to the international community, Côte d’Ivoire is implementing many initiatives for the sustainable management of its marine and coastal environment. This is the reason why it has benefited from a pilot project called “Integrated Management of the Marine and Coastal Area from Abidjan to Assinie” (GIAMAA). This project, co-financed by the German government and Côte d’Ivoire, is based on the application of three Integrated Ocean Management (IOM) tools. One of these tools is State of the Marine Environment reporting (SoME).
The SoME report for Côte d’Ivoire addresses current environmental issues of concern, as well as the critical challenge of managing the marine and coastal environment for sustainable development. This document specifically contributes to characterizing the current environmental concerns of the populations living along the Ivorian marine and coastal environments.