GMES and Africa Western Africa: A Project at the Heart of Wetland Issues

The leader of a consortium of 15 institutions, the Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) de Dakar is implementing a G&A-funded project in West Africa. It shares an article about the events organized by its consortium in celebration of Wetlands International Day last February 2. These events took place in Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal, in the different sites of the GDZHIAO Project (Gestion Durable des Zones Humides et des Inondations en Afrique de l'Ouest).

 

GDZHAO was a Project funded from 2017 to 2021 by GMES and Africa in Western Africa to deal with the monitoring of wetlands. In 2022, GDZHAO turned into GDZHIAO by integrating flood management and CSSTE Nigeria's expertise in this area. 

In BURKINA FASO, the celebration focused on the Samandéni Dam wetland, which has been designated as a Ramsar site in 2020 under the GMES GDZHAO project. The project organized public lectures and outreach activities for the general public and youth at universities. The National Focal Point of the Wetlands Project, who is also in charge of communication in the country for GDZHIAO, organized a webinar on the theme "Preservation and conservation of wetlands in Burkina Faso: what contribution of the youth?

In NIGER, the DFCAP (Direction de la Faune de la Chasse et des Aires Protégées), focal point of the GDZHIAO project in the country, celebrated this day with the secondary school of Bayero (Department of Birni, 100 km from Niamey), the teachers and students of this school, and the administrative and customary authorities. Under the theme "Revitalizing and restoring degraded wetlands", the objective was to raise awareness among young people so that they take ownership of the management of wetlands in their homeland.

In SENEGAL, the focus is on the revitalization and restoration of degraded wetlands by informing and sensitizing the general public and advocating to the authorities.

More Information

• Mr Taibou BA, Project Manager, taibou[at]cse.sn
• Mrs Thioro Codou NIANG, Communication Officer, thioro.niang[at]cse.sn
• The Centre de Suivi Ecologique de Dakar, https://www.cse.sn/
• http://gdzhao-blog.com/celebration-de-la-journee-mondiale-des-zones-humides/
• The African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education - English (ARCSSTEE) Nigeria, https://arcsstee.org.ng/
• The flyer about this day (French)