Wetlands International Africa Invites Community Radios to Raise Awareness of Mangrove Preservation
Through interactive broadcasts organized on Friday, July 26, 2019, local community radio stations, Wetlands International has succeeded in raising awareness among the population on strategies for the conservation and regeneration of mangrove ecosystems, among others. It was part of the celebration of the International Mangrove Day, established since 2015 by UNESCO.
Studies have shown that 80% of mangrove planting efforts fail because soil, water, species, and social context are not sufficiently taken into account. Based on this observation, Wetlands International, in its efforts to preserve mangrove ecosystems, seized the occasion of the International Mangrove Day celebrated on July 26, 2019, to invite communities to create the right conditions to allow the mangrove to grow back. naturally.
To this end, informs Ibrahim Hama, Communications Manager at the Wetlands International office based in Dakar, the community radio partners of said NGO in the Saloum Delta, were put to contribution through interactive programs to raise awareness of the populations of firstly, on the need to preserve the mangrove then and especially on the strategies to regenerate these ecosystems effectively. “This year, we wanted community radios to be at the heart of the celebration of the International Day by being in touch with all stakeholders involved in mangrove areas like the Saloum Delta,” said Hama. Who adds: “The key message we want to relay through these radios is to say that before planting the mangrove, we must first study the situation, see if the context is favorable if the varieties chosen are good, etc. He says, adding that planting is not the only way to restore the mangrove ecosystem. “There are many ways to conserve the mangrove. For example, in Dassilamé serère (in the Department of Foundiougne), communities contribute to the conservation of the mangrove by doing beekeeping. As a result, bees produce highly valued mangrove honey and, with their aggressiveness, they play a guardian role at the same time by preventing mangrove cutting, “said Ibrahima Hama.
Also, it should be noted that, in the context of safeguarding mangrove ecosystems, Wetlands International, in partnership with the Fatick Academy Inspectorate, has launched a pilot project to set up a network of 27 environmental clubs. mangrove (Cem) in some schools and schools of the academy. Ultimately, the objective of this project is to achieve the integration of issues related to the conservation of mangrove ecosystems into official curricula. This initiative is being implemented as part of a project called Mangrove Capital Africa (MCA) funded by the DoB Ecology Foundation.
Dioumacor NDONG,
Le Quotidien
Senegal