SOCODEVI launched the Natur’ELLES project on May 2, in Toubacouda, at a ceremony attended by authorities from the Fatick region, the Department of Marine Protected Areas, the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, other partners and the Canadian ambassador to Senegal.
The mangroves of the Sine-Saloum and Casamance deltas are internationally renowned for their key role in mitigating climate change and supporting adaptation by local people. They provide a wide range of environmental services that reduce climate risks. But despite this crucial role, they have now shrunk to half their original size, and restoring them could improve living conditions for around 250,000 people.
The Canadian ambassador attended the Natur’ELLES launch ceremony and explained the importance of this initiative, which is fully in line with Senegal’s strategic aims of protecting and conserving marine biodiversity. She emphasized the support that will be given to vulnerable communities, in particular women who do not have access to knowledge, equipment or income and who have little involvement in decision-making spaces that govern access to natural resources.
SOCODEVI’s CEO added that the Natur’ELLES project aims to effectively address socio-economic challenges that are linked to climate change and affect vulnerable communities and women in particular, supporting the sustainable transformation and development of the Sine-Saloum and Casamance delta mangrove ecosystems.
Ambassador Marie-Geneviève Mounier with SOCODEVI General Manager
About Natur’ELLES
Natur’ELLES aims to improve living conditions for vulnerable communities, particularly mangrove fisherwomen, by bolstering biodiversity within these ecosystems and encouraging an inclusive approach to governance. The project’s activities will improve living conditions for 8,000 people, including 6,000 women.
Written by Ndèye Mané Ba, communications officer for the Natur’ELLES project in Senegal.