Overview of Land-Based Sources and Activities Affecting the Marine, Coastal and Associated Freshwater Environment in the West and Central African Region
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Overview of Land-based Sources and Activities Affecting the Marine, Coastal and Associated Freshwater Environment in the West and Central African Region Item Type Report Citation UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 171. 110 pp. Publisher UNEP Download date 28/09/2021 10:14:38 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/312 Overview of Land-based Sources and Activities Affecting the Marine, Coastal and Associated Freshwater Environment in the West and Central African Region UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 171 UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME 1999 Note: The preparation of this Report was commissioned by UNEP, United Nations Environment Programme from Prof. E.S. Diop, (currently Senior Programme Officer, Division of Environmental Information, Assessment & Early Warning) under Project FP/1100-96-01. Design and layout by Mwangi Theuri, UNEP. The designations employed and the presentation of the materials in this document do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries. The document contains the views expressed by the author(s) acting in their individual capacity and may not necessarily reflect the views of UNEP. 1999 United Nations Environment Programme The Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities GPA Co-ordination Office P.O. Box 16227 2500 BE The Hague Visiting address: Anna Paulownastraat 1, The Hague, The Netherlands West and Central Africa Action Plan Regional Co-ordinating Unit c/o Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Forêt 20 BP 650, Abidjan 20 Côte d’Ivoire This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational and non- profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided that acknowledgement of the source is made. UNEP would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this material as a source. No use of this publication may be made for the resale or for any other commercial purposes whatsoever without the prior permission in writing of UNEP. For bibliography purposes this document may be cited as: UNEP: Regional Overview of Land-based Sources and Activities Affecting the Coastal and Associated Freshwater Environment in the West and Central African Region. UNEP/ GPA Co-ordination Office & West and Central Africa Action Plan, Regional Co-ordinating Unit (1999). 110 pp. ISBN: 92-807-1800-3 Front cover picture: Some aspects of aquatic invasive weeds in African coastal lagoons (top left). Aerial view of the Port of Dakar, Senegal (middle). Sand consolidation impacts resulting from Senegalese Chemical Industries discharges, South Coast of Dakar (bottom). Photo by S. DIOP. iii Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables..................................................................................................................................................... iv Preface ............................................................................................................................................................. v Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................... vi Background....................................................................................................................................................... vii I. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 A. Natural conditions and processes ...................................................................................... 1 1. Regional morphology and river basin drainage..................................................... 1 2. General oceanography, coastal morphology and processes ............................... 1 3. Ecosystem and species diversity........................................................................... 2 B. Anthropogenic impacts: demography and urbanization, industrial, agricultural activities and development .............................................................................. 5 C. Socio-economic implications of anthropogenic alterations including losses of cultural heritage sites........................................................................... 6 II. Regional overview on land-based sources of pollution: identification and assessment of problems ............................................................................................................. 9 III. Emerging and foreseeable problems ................................................................................................. 12 IV. Strategies and measures.................................................................................................................... 12 V. Priority for action including regional/international cooperation activities............................................ 13 VI. Main conclusions and recommendations........................................................................................... 16 VII. Country-by-country analysis of land-based sources and activities.................................................... 17 A. Angola................................................................................................................................. 18 B. Benin ................................................................................................................................... 21 C. Chad.................................................................................................................................... 24 D. Congo (Democratic Republic) ............................................................................................ 26 E. Côte d’Ivoire........................................................................................................................ 29 F. Gambia ............................................................................................................................... 34 G. Ghana ................................................................................................................................. 40 H. Guinea................................................................................................................................. 44 I. Guinea-Bissau .................................................................................................................... 51 J. Liberia ................................................................................................................................. 52 K. Mauritania ........................................................................................................................... 54 L. Nigeria................................................................................................................................. 55 M. Sao Tome and Principe...................................................................................................... 67 N. Senegal............................................................................................................................... 70 O. Togo.................................................................................................................................... 78 VIII. References.......................................................................................................................................... 80 Annex I. List of Additional Tables ..................................................................................................................... 85 Annex II. List of Additional Figures ................................................................................................................... 102 Annex III. Acronyms ......................................................................................................................................... 110 iv List of Figures Fig. 1 Location map of the WACAF coastal countries .................................................................................... 3 Fig. 2 West and Central Africa major surface currents ................................................................................... 5 Fig. 3 Oceanographic features and coastal resources in WACAF Region .................................................... 7 Fig. 4 Major industrial pollutants in the West and Central African Region......................................................8 Fig. 5 Port approach high risk zones .............................................................................................................. 14 Fig. 6 Location of Côte d’Ivoire coastal zone .................................................................................................. 30 Fig. 7 Location of the Coastal Zone of Gambia............................................................................................... 36 Fig. 8 Sampling points along the Estuary of Gambia ..................................................................................... 37 Fig. 9 Map of the coastal zone of Ghana ........................................................................................................ 41 Fig. 9a The Guinean Coastline.......................................................................................................................