The International Day of Mangrove Ecosystems was celebrated on Friday (26 July 2019) in Fatick with a good involvement of community radios, a major innovation in place of the traditional folklore that marked the previous editions.
But not without derogating from the rule and the spirit underlying the organization of such a day dedicated, to sensitize the communities on the role of the mangrove in the everyday life of the populations and its importance in the safeguarding and the protection of Atlantic coastal habitats beyond economic and social aspects.
“Thus, for this 2019 edition, in the Saloum Delta, intervention area of the Mangrove Capital Africa (MCA) program, it was agreed to put community radios at the center of the mobilization, to allow these vectors radiophonic to be in direct contact with all actors evolving or living in the mangrove areas. An additional motivation for these community radios to relay the key messages through talk shows as was the case on Fatick’s Ndef Leng radio, “says Ibrahim Hama, Wetlands International Africa Communications Manager.
What alternatives to planting mangroves?
It is important to make the various actors aware of the prerequisites to be taken into account, namely on the nature of the soils, the adaptable varieties in each zone, among others before any mangrove planting, as explained by the experts of Wetlands International Mamadou. Diouf and Yakhya Gueye and Abdou Salam Ba from PRODER representing the mangrove platform, who were the guests on Ndef Leng FM’s radio show.
Thus, they mentioned other alternatives to the plantation namely: the conservation and preservation of mangrove ecosystems that several villages are beginning to adopt. The example of the village of Dassilamé serere in the town of Toubacouta where people are busy at the same time in beekeeping to exploit mangrove honey and at the same time allow bees to protect the mangrove against cuts of wood, been given as an example to other communities in the Saloum Delta. On the other hand, there are groups of women who are active in oyster farming by putting up garlands that also serve as protection for mangroves.
Simply put, it is not only through planting that we will win the challenge of preserving and conserving mangrove ecosystems. Especially since the figures show alarming success rates for the various reforestation actions that have been carried out around the world.
Mohamad Sagne
le fatickois.net