Protecting the Region’s Natural Resources

The West African coastal zone hosts critical natural resources and habitats that provide important ecosystem services. The area’s natural resources play vital roles in the functioning of the shoreline, providing natural protection against erosion,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	World Bank Group
Format:	Brief
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2016
Subjects:	ECOSYSTEM SERVICES CETACEANS FISH REEFS MIGRATORY BIRDS ECOSYSTEM MARINE ENVIRONMENTS BIOGEOGRAPHY VEGETATION BIRDS CLIMATE CHANGE COASTAL MANAGEMENT SPECIES OF FISH PROTECTED AREAS NATURE MARINE TURTLES LAND USE PLANNING COASTAL FORESTS CARBON DAMS COASTAL WETLANDS ARCHIPELAGO DISCHARGE FISH SPECIES CLIMATE PROTECTION FORESTS SEAGRASSES ANIMALS HABITATS MARINE NATURAL RESOURCES GRASS COASTAL AREAS MANAGEMENT SPECIES OF CETACEANS COASTAL ZONE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS HABITAT MANGROVES COASTAL SAND SURVIVAL PLANT FISHERIES CORAL SETTLEMENTS SATELLITE DATA BIOMASS EROSION COASTS SEDIMENT SEA- GRASS MARINE POLLUTION LAND HYDROCARBON ECOSYSTEMS ANALYSIS MANGROVE COAST CONSERVATION SHORELINE ECOLOGY STORM SURGES CONSTRUCTION COASTAL RESOURCES ANIMAL WATER SAND COASTAL VEGETATION BIODIVERSITY SPECIES RIVER SYSTEMS SEA LEVEL RISE ECOSYSTEM DEGRADATION SEA POLLUTION TURTLES MEADOWS VARIETY SEDIMENT LOADS CORAL REEFS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS NATURAL RESOURCES WETLANDS SEA LEVEL MANGROVE FORESTS EUTROPHICATION MINERAL MINING COASTAL AREAS FISHING ANIMAL SPECIES LAND USE RIVER NURSERY AREAS
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/11/25486909/protecting-region’s-natural-resources http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24282

Description
Summary:	The West African coastal zone hosts critical natural resources and habitats that provide important ecosystem services. The area’s natural resources play vital roles in the functioning of the shoreline, providing natural protection against erosion, pollution, sea level rise, and extreme weather events. Coastal and marine ecosystems, including cold-water coral reefs, sea¬grass meadows, mangrove forests, and coastal wetlands and lagoons, also provide indispensable ecosystem services for the fisheries sector, as spawning and nursery areas for fish. The destruction and degradation of coastal natural resources has trans-boundary impacts. Joint efforts are therefore needed to develop win-win solutions. Regional collaboration and integrated decision making on the part of West African coastal countries is paramount if long-term, viable solutions are to be identified and implemented.

Protecting the Region’s Natural Resources

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