The Socio-Economics of the West, Central and Southern African Coastal Communities

Foreword

African coasts and ocean. More recently, trends within Large Marine Ecosystems of the west, central and southern Africa show increased environmental degradation which will have significant financial, economic and social costs if no action is taken. This report provides an overview and synthesis of three economic valuation efforts, eachwith the goal of determining the “flow of value” or benefits derived from the natural ecosystems and services of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem, Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem. As examples, investigators estimate that Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem ecosystem services (including mariculture and fisheries) provide approximately USD 2.35 billion of Total Economic Impact annually with USD 472 million of wage impact; for Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem the estimated impact is USD 17 billion annually derived mainly from its fisheries endowment; and for Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem, the estimate is USD 11.7 billion, mostly derived from tourism and recreation opportunity in addition to fisheries. Monetary valuation provides a critical albeit partial picture of the value people and societies ascribe to and derive from healthy ‘blue’ nature. This synthesis report makes an important contribution to raising the awareness of decision and policy makers from west, central and southern Africa, who have the influence and ability to design and implement innovative solutions that will ensure a thriving ocean supporting sustainable societies for generations to come. It is critical that other African Regional Seas Conventions follow the path set by the Abidjan Convention to assess the economic values of their marine and coastal ecosystems which is of paramount importance for oceans sustainable economic planning, which UN Environment strongly would welcome and support.

UN Environment welcomes this publication initiated by the Convention for Cooperation in the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Atlantic Coast of the West, Central and Southern Africa Region (Abidjan Convention). People living along the west, central and southern African coast are directly dependent on a healthy ocean and healthy coasts for sustenance, economic progress and a quality way of life. Socially and ecologically sustainable ocean-dependent societies and dynamic, vibrant cultures are interconnected with thriving natural systems. They are also dependent on the ability to properly govern and manage human impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems. The Large Marine Ecosystems of the west, central and southern African coasts are among the most productive in the world. Their health constitutes a vital anchor of the blue economy of the region, an approach defined in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 as one that: a) emphasizes the interconnectedness across sectors, b) recognizes the critical importance of a healthy ocean and c) is underpinned by a sustainable economic framework that can deliver social equity and tangible benefit sharing. Blue Economy work has been and continues to be a key focus of UN Environment both in the region of the Abidjan Convention and globally. The Large Marine Ecosystems of the west, central and southern African coasts have been developed as a tool enabling ecosystem-based management and to provide a collaborative approach to transboundary resource management. They gather a baseline of ecological data regarding the coverage, ecological outputs and functions of marine and coastal ecosystems. They have also allowed decision and policy-makers to know about the profound connections between people and nature in the context of these ecosystems and the values placed on the benefits inherent in and derived from the west, central and southern

Erik Solheim UNEP Executive Director

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