Blue Carbon Financing of Mangrove Conservation in the Abidjan Convention Region: A Feasibility Study

Figure 8: Population density in West, Central and Southern Africa, urban areas, major ports, and mangrove coverage Source: Global population density grid for 2000 (Center for International Earth Science Information Network - CIESIN - Columbia University and Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical - CIAT 2005), urban areas in 2001-2002 (Schneider, Friedl et al. 2003, Schneider, Friedl et al. 2009, Schneider, Friedl et al. 2010), major ports (NG-IA 2015), mangrove coverage for mangroves classified <40 m high in 1999-2000 (Fatoyinbo and Simard, 2013).

Table 10: Characteristics of large marine ecosystems along the coast of West, Central and Southern Africa

Catch value (real 2,000, million US$)

Percentage of population relying on LME for livelihoods

Population bordering LME (millions)

Area (million km 2 )

Catch (1,000 tons)

Protected area

Fish

Stressors

Current

~1,500

0.77%

70%

Small pelagic fish: 60% of total catch

58

Intensive fishing, climatic variability, eutrophication and pollution near emerging coastal mega-cities Pollution (sewage) near large coastal cities, coastal erosion and development

Canary current (cold)

1.1

~2,000

~1,000

0.33%

Small pelagic and other fish

40%

300

Guinea current (warm)

2.0

~900

Source: Large Marine Ecosystems of the World. Available at http://lme.edc.uri.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=112. Last accessed 25 September 2015

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