Mangrove rehabilitation and replanting

Hello and welcome to our loyal listeners. The theme of today’s program is Nature-based Solutions, focusing on the regeneration of mangroves in the coastal villages of Grand-Lahou in Côte d’Ivoire. It discusses all aspects of the villages in this geographical area, including women, men, and nature conservationists.

To talk about this, we welcome five guests. Laurentine Akin is a shopkeeper. Alphonse Akadié is president of the Lahou Kpanda Park, Wood, and Mangrove Committee. Michel Ségui is president of the Société coopérative simplifiée des artisans pêcheurs “Walè.” Serge Sougohi is president of the NGO Afrique Verte. And Professor Koffi Kan is a mangrove expert, and a lecturer and researcher at Alassane Ouattara University in Bouaké, in north-central Côte d’Ivoire. Hello everyone, and thank you for accepting our invitation!

instrumental music up, then fade out

My first question is for Laurentine. Can you explain why mangroves are important for women?

I’m 35 years old and I work as a fish trader. There used to be a lot of fish in Grand-Lahou. But the disappearance of the mangroves has changed everything. As a result, I have to travel to at least three villages, a total of 27 kilometres, on foot and by motorcycle taxi very early in the morning, hoping to get fresh fish for my business. Many women in our department depend on fish for their livelihoods. But fish have become scarce.

And why have fish become scarce?

It’s because of the destruction of the mangroves. In the past, people blamed genies, invisible mystical forces that inhabited the sea or the lagoon. But the destruction of the mangroves is the main cause. As a result, young fishers have had to move to other work.

What is the impact on families?

My husband works in the fields and I sell fish so that we can take care of our four children who go to school. Without fish, without agriculture, we can’t feed ourselves, we can’t meet our needs. Some women carry the burden of their families because their husbands, who used to be fishers, can no longer catch fish. Between 2011 and 2020, fresh fish vendors bought a kilogram of fish for between 2,000f and 5,000f (US $3.30-$8.25). We made a profit of between 100% and 200%, so between 4,000f and 8,000f (US $6.60-$13.20) per kilogram. We cold between 10 and 15 kg when things were going well, so we earned between 28,000f and 56,000f (US $46-$92) every week. Since 2021, the price of fish has increased because of the price charged by the fishers. It’s double what it used to be, between 5,000 and 10,000 CFAF (US $8.25-$16.50).

What are you doing to encourage the return of mangroves?

In Aboudam and Adreguidon, villages where I go to buy fish, young people have started planting mangroves. We’ve been told that the mangroves enable fish to multiply. It’s even forbidden to touch the mangroves, on pain of severe punishment.

SIX-second musical interlude, then fade under host’s voice

The question of survival raised by Ms. Laurentine gives us the opportunity to turn to Michel Segui. You are president of the Société coopérative simplifiée des artisans pêcheurs, “Walè.” What difficulties is your co-operative facing?

We face all kinds of difficulties, especially those related to our economic activity, fishing. Our co-operative has 75 members.

Why are you concerned about saving the mangroves?

Mangroves are the natural environment for the development of our living resources. Mangroves attract fish to come and lay their eggs. The young fish develop in the safety of mangrove roots, out of reach of large predatory fish.

And what is your organization doing to save the mangroves?

If a person is found with dry firewood, he or she is fined 100,000 CFAF (US $165) and his or her pirogue is confiscated. Young people cut mangrove wood to sell to fishmongers, who use it to smoke fish. They say that mangrove wood gives the fish a certain shine. So, we fishers, members of the Scoop-Hozalem co-operative, and the other villagers, having understood the value of mangroves, have decided to set up a special police force to discourage young people from touching the mangroves.

What does destroying mangroves have to do with today’s fishing yields?

Before the mangroves in our village started to disappear, the co-operative used to catch about 100 kilograms of fish a day. Between 2013 and 2017, that number dropped to just 15-20 kg. But thanks to the mangroves we planted, we now catch between 55 and 70 kg a day.

Good news! Are you participating in mangrove planting?

Yes, as president, I’ve mobilized all the members of my organization to participate in planting mangroves in our village. Because we are the main beneficiaries. Mr. Sougohi’s NGO educated us about the importance of preserving mangroves. They explained to us how mangroves help fish to reproduce.

And since your co-operative started planting mangroves, what results have you obtained, apart from the quantity of fish you catch?

Young people who had left their villages for Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire, a hundred kilometres away, are returning to the village to take up fishing again. The regeneration of mangroves is a direct consequence of the return of fish. By taking these steps, we are helping to reduce the rural exodus and creating wealth for the whole community.

SIX-second musical interlude, then fade under host’s voice

We’re going to turn now to Mr. Alphonse Akadié. He’s the president of the Lahou Kpanda Park, Forest, and Mangrove Committee. He’s going to tell us more about the planting mangroves. But first, what is a mangrove?

Mangrove trees grow in salt water, although some species in Côte d’Ivoire can tolerate only slightly salty water. There are three types of mangroves: red, white, and black. Mangroves ecosystems are created by planting mangroves. Mangroves naturally grow on the coast. They grow in flat areas where salt water from the tide mixes with fresh water from rivers. So mangrove swamps grow not only near the sea, but also in brackish water where the river meets the ocean.

How do you plant mangroves to create a mangrove swamp?

There are several ways of planting mangroves, depending on the soil conditions. In muddy areas, we use nurseries to start mangrove growth, then transplant them to areas where we want them. In locations with sandy soil, we plant seeds directly in the ground, where they will germinate. We dg holes and use measuring ropes to make sure that there’s one and a half metres between mangroves. To protect the new plants against the force of the water current, we secure them with stakes. The mangrove seed is long and has a cap from which the flowers emerge. The roots are fixed in the ground and filter the water and protect the fish that come to breed at the bottom of the plant. When the water recedes at low tide, we quickly plant the seeds.

After planting, what else do you do?

We decided to monitor the lagoon waters, regulate the size of the openings in the net mesh, and strengthen mangrove protection. The whole village participated. We banned the cutting of mangroves and the use of toxic products such as pesticides and other phytosanitary products that are not recommended for fishing. As a result, illegal fishing in the area has stopped. This monitoring has saved the mangroves in all the settlements and 30 large villages on the lagoon.

How important are mangroves to you and your people?

Mangroves are where fish breed, so they are home to fish stocks. We noticed that mangroves were being used for firewood. In the beginning, the loggers were opposed to me. A lot of people didn’t want to hear about conservation. Now everyone supports it. Both men and women take care of the mangroves. We’re not fishers. But we used to see fishers make a lot of money because of the mangroves. They made fish breeding easier. Fishing was good and brought in no less than 50,000 CFA francs (US $83) a week as final profit.

When did you start regenerating the mangroves?

We started by ourselves in the 2000s. A lot of mangroves have been reforested. Under a project to rehabilitate coastal areas in West Africa, we benefited from awareness raising. We have reforested 15 hectares, although we have not yet received funding from the project. The sites were chosen after technical training. We have planted tree nurseries and received equipment to help plant and maintain them. We planted tree nurseries in the villages of Brafèdon, Lahou Kpanda, Groguida, and Likpilassié.

How would you evaluate this initiative?

The balance sheet is largely positive for our Scoop-Hozalem co-operative, with about fifteen women working together. Nine out of twenty women are involved in the mangrove project. A dozen young people from the village have returned to fishing. I’ve told them we’re going to build floating cages. These devices will enable us to monitor the mangroves. The floating cages are made of bamboo rods with a net that allows you to fish. The fish are trapped inside because the bottom is closed. And when they enter from above, a mechanism closes the trap. This makes it possible to screen and release the young fish.

SIX-second musical interlude, then fade under host’s voice

After these explanations, we’ll now turn to Mr. Serge Sougohi, President of the NGO Afrique Verte Environnement. What do you think about the mangrove conservation initiatives being developed by these local communities?

Before answering your questions, I would like to say that our organization, Afrique Verte Environnement was created in 2012 primarily to help stop the degradation of mangroves. Since 2020, it has been recognized by the administrative authorities following a process that started with the sub-prefect and the organization was authorized by the Ministry of the Interior. Initiatives aimed at restoring mangroves are commendable and should be encouraged, given the importance of these natural ecosystems.

What role do mangroves play?

Mangroves provide enormous ecosystem services, including nursery and feeding grounds for fish. Mangroves protect coastlines from erosion and tsunamis. They purify water from the waste that humans dump into it. They absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it deep in the soil, helping to combat global warming. Recent studies show that they can store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than forests. They are also important ecotourism sites, where you can observe iconic animal species such as hippopotamus, manatees, and numerous species of waterfowl.

Mangrove wood is used for firewood, poles, and roofing. By producing fallen mangrove leaves, branches, and other plant material, these trees contribute to the diet of marine animals, including several commercially important species. For this reason, they should be considered not only as forests, but also as sources of foods such as crabs, fish, and shrimp. In addition, they play a cultural role for local communities. The local population understands the importance of the mangroves, from which they draw considerable resources.

What do you think needs to be done to support local initiatives and better protect mangroves?

We need to create alternative income-generating activities for people who live from cutting and selling mangroves. Some 500 hectares of land need to be reforested. We also need to build improved ovens for the women who use mangrove wood to smoke fish. These ovens use less firewood and retain heat during cooking. In the village of Niani, we conducted awareness raising and training activities. We focused on information about mangroves, showing the link between mangrove deforestation and fish depletion. The Coastal Fishing Initiative project was launched with this in mind.

How do you involve local communities?

It is important to train teams of eco-guards from the communities concerned. We need to create plantations of fast-growing species such as acacia that can replace mangroves for firewood. If we implement a project that takes into account the interests of the local population, they will be receptive.

Why do you think these populations will be receptive to awareness raising initiatives?

The destruction of the mangroves is now affecting women directly. In the past, in good times, a fisher would catch at least 20 kilos of fish in less than an hour, unlike today, when it’s difficult to get 10 to 15 kilos. The reason is that the sea is eating away at the coastline. Navigability has become difficult for pirogues, and villages have had to be relocated.

sIX-second musical interlude, then fadeS out under host’s voice

So, Professor Koffi Kan, as a geographer specializing in wetlands, what do you think of everything that’s been said so far?

Mangroves are vegetation that grows on tidal coastal mudflats. They are made up of mangrove trees, plants that live in the water and have long roots. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are threatened with extinction due to human exploitation and urbanization.

In 2023, the government decided to suspend artisanal, semi-industrial and industrial fishing activities to make it easier for fish to reproduce. Can this decision be considered beneficial for this ecosystem?

The Ivorian government’s decision is timely, as it will reduce the pressure exerted on mangroves, which are used as wood for drying fish on the coast. This is a good decision, but it is not enough to ensure the sustainable preservation of mangroves. There is a need to strengthen the monitoring of mangroves in Côte d’Ivoire. By hosting the 15th United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification and Drought in Côte d’Ivoire, the Ivorian government has sent a message to the world about its determination to contribute to the preservation of the environmental.

We must go further than our intentions, especially along the coast, where the effects of climate change are felt most acutely. Damage has been reported in Grand-Bassam, and coastal villages in Grand-Lahou are disappearing as the waters rise. The rehabilitation and expansion of mangroves and their protection by the Water and Forestry Department should help people who depend on fishing with their livelihoods, and curb marine erosion.

The ban also led to massive reproduction of fish and fishery resources. Fishing was resumed on August 1, 2023. But this has not been disastrous, according to the fishers themselves, who say they are satisfied with the government’s decision.

Why is this ecosystem important for fish and the local economy?

Mangroves serve as breeding grounds and shelter for fish, which feed on the algae and plankton found in the mangroves. The fish hide among the mangroves when they need to lay their eggs, away from bigger fish. The roots of the mangrove trees are bushy and provide a hiding place. Their long roots contain algae that the fish feed on. The tight roots prevent the big fish from getting through, and the young fish find food there. By the time they emerge, they are already quite large, and some are even forced to leave because they can no longer fit between the roots.

What is the relationship between mangrove ecosystems and the management of carbon or oxygen necessary for the well-being of fish and other fishery resources?

Mangroves store carbon and release oxygen through photosynthesis. This helps to improve the quality of the air and water. Mangroves also help to purify human and industrial waste discharged into brackish waters through natural purification.

Does global warming have an impact on mangroves?

Rising sea levels trigger coastal erosion, which leads to and the destruction of mangroves. There’s also siltation, which disrupts the ecosystem balance in habitats for animals such as fish and shrimp. Even more importantly, rising sea levels can literally drown mangrove forests, seriously disrupting coastal ecosystems.

With these words from Professor Koffi Kan, we conclude these discussions. Thank you, dear guests, for answering our questions.

Mangrove ecosystems play an important role in the balance of the marine environment. The solution reached by all stakeholders is to create a combination of actions to regenerate and protect them. This includes raising awareness and informing the coastal populations about the importance of this ecosystem, which contributes to the fight against poverty and the improvement of the living conditions for women in particular. In Côte d’Ivoire, the people who really benefit from mangroves are those who live on the coast.

Thank you to our devoted listeners; we’ll be back soon for another program.

Fade in opening credits, four seconds on, then fade out.