Sandy beaches and coastal dunes
As part of its support to the WACA Program, IUCN highlights the increasing pressures threatening sandy beaches and coastal dunes in West Africa. Erosion, sea-level rise, coastal infrastructure, and sand mining are driving the degradation of these ecosystems, which are critical nesting sites for turtles and bird species.
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Mangroves for West Africa
As part of its support to the WACA Program, IUCN highlights—through this visual—the major threats to mangroves in West Africa. Preserving these vital ecosystems requires coordinated regional action in the face of rising sea levels, deforestation, and increasing human pressures.
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Coastal Resilience as Foundation for Coastal Development
Rejoignez l’équipe WACA pour un panel sur la résilience côtière comme fondement du développement côtier durant la Semaine de l’Océan des Nations Unies à Nice”
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São Tomé hosts a knowledge exchange mission on environmental and social safeguards under the WACA Program
From May 5–10, São Tomé and Príncipe hosted a regional exchange under the WACA program, welcoming safeguard and social development experts from The Gambia, Ghana, and Guinea-Bissau. Through field visits and peer learning, the mission strengthened capacities and fostered collaboration to apply environmental and social standards more effectively across new WACA countries in the ResIP 2 phase.
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Canoes Fuel Comeback for Fishermen in Grand-Lahou
Fishermen in Grand-Lahou, Côte d’Ivoire, are charting a new course thanks to the WACA Program. On April 3, four motorized canoes were handed over to local cooperatives, restoring livelihoods disrupted by coastal works—builtuilt with local materials and adapted by artisans.
Read MoreNews & Events
The Ivorian Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Ecological Transition, Mr. Jacques…
The WACA Project convened a joint forum of the National Assembly Select Committee on Environment,…
To mark the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on July 26, the…
As part of its mission to raise awareness about coastal degradation, the WACA Guinea-Bissau project…
From May 26 to 30, 2025, a national training workshop was held in Bakau under the WACA program to…
Key Facts & Figures
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56%
Coastline in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo subject to an average erosion of 1.8 m per year
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US$1.4 billion
Cost of air, water and waste pollution cost in 2017 to Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo
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13,000 deaths
Occur in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo primarily due to floods, air and water in 2017
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$3.8 billion
The cost of erosion, flooding and pollution cost to Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo
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56% GDP
Generated by West Africa Coastal Areas
COASTAL CHALLENGES IN WEST AFRICA
Coastal erosion and flooding in West Africa severely threaten people’s communities, livelihoods, safety and investments. About 56% of West Africa’s GDP is generated in coastal provinces, where one-third of the population resides. Stronger storms and rising seas are wiping out homes, roads and buildings that have served as landmarks for generations. Some beaches are deeply mined for sand, protective mangroves are deforested, and people are increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Some residents have no choice but to move away—a trend that is breaking up communities and changing the social fabric for future generations.
Rapid and often unplanned urbanization has devastated the natural landscape that once served as a buffer for erosion and flooding. These developments disproportionately affect the poorest and most marginalized, and will intensify due to climate change. While countries have started to contain erosion and flooding, there is an urgent need for partners to mobilize financing through coordinated regional action. Collaboration at the policy and technical levels helps countries to manage erosion hotspots, and to maintain the livelihoods that a healthy coastal ecosystem provides to people and economies.
