PROJECT GOALS AND EXPECTED RESULTS

12 fishing activities and the socio-economic conditions of those who depend on fishing activities. The project has developed adaptation plans, using coastal community vulnerability assessments on project sites, with contents that are similar to the management rules in various Local Agreements. So, implementing the current collaborative management plans will go a long way to strengthen climate change resilience in target communities. On the other hand, climate change vulnerability and adaptation studies have highlighted several weaknesses in the way climate change adaptation measures are integrated into national policy and strategic decision-making processes. The weaknesses include: a the lack of knowledge on the underlying capabilities, resources and practices for community adaptation; b the absence of effective tools for providing information on climate change to local institutions and communities; c the absence of climate change in the planning and budgeting systems of the central government, local governments and communities; and d the lack of scientific knowledge on climate change at the national and local level. The USAIDCOMFISH project has been working over the past three years to support the Government of Senegal so that it can more effectively integrate climate change in public policies, and to enable coastal communities, through the implementation of existing adaptation plans, to have an adequate number of tools necessary for increasing their capacities for climate change resilience. Contributing to marine and coastal biodiversity conservation: The USAIDCOMFISH project will also contribute to the biodiversity conservation objectives in the USAID 2005 biodiversity assessment and threats analysis in Senegal. The assessment showed that overfishing and destructive fishing methods were direct threats to marine diversity in Senegal, and more particularly to the endangered stocks that contribute significantly to national exports. It is in this respect that the project is identifying, testing and implementing policies and strategies capable of reducing or eradicating bad fishing practices, while also promoting the conservation of marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Creating the enabling conditions necessary for sustainable fisheries management: One of the objectives of USAID Senegal is to support economic growth in Senegal by improving the results of the “Feed the Future” FTF program. The USAIDCOMFISH project will contribute toward the objectives of the FTF program by concentrating on the sustainability of marine ecosystem productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, promoting international trade through eco-labeling at the local level, and involving artisanal fishermen through the use of a gender approach in the value chain to bring about a considerable increase in the social and economic benefits that these artisanal fishermen derive from fishing. The USAIDCOMFISH project will focus on establishing these elements which are enabling conditions for sustainable fisheries in Senegal.

1.3 PROJECT GOALS AND EXPECTED RESULTS

The goal of USAIDSenegal is to support the Government of Senegal’s efforts to achieve reform of its fisheries sector, as provided in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector Policy Letter, so that it continues to generate income and ensure food security for the growing population. The USAIDCOMFISH project supports this reform and promotes the objectives of biodiversity conservation, while also addressing the crosscutting themes of enhanced governance, gender mainstreaming and adaptation to climate change. The USAIDCOMFISH project seeks to develop and replicate new models for sustainable fishing to help Senegal institute sustainable management of the artisanal fishing sector. Many fish stocks, including sardinella, are shared with neighboring countries in the CCLME area. The project will therefore conduct activities to contribute towards the harmonization of artisanal fisheries 13 governance at the local, national and sub-regional levels, but most of its activities will concentrate on Senegal. The longer term goal 20-30 years of the USAIDCOMFISH project is that fisheries in Senegal are no longer overexploited and provide: 1 the nation with a sustainable source of supply in high-quality protein; 2 in a way that contributes to the quality of life of artisanal fishing communities; and 3 maintains the capability of marine and coastal ecosystems to produce useful goods and services that the Senegalese people want. The USAIDCOMFISH project will contribute to the achievement of the following four major intermediate results: IR 1: Institutional and stakeholder capacity strengthened at all levels of governance to implement an ecosystem-based, collaborative management approach to sustainable fisheries, to prevent overfishing, and to increase climate change resilience. IR 2: Strategies, policies and best practices identified, tested and applied to address both climate and non-climate stressors and their interactions in marine fisheries and biodiversity. IR 3: Vulnerability assessed and capacity of vulnerable coastal communities strengthened to adapt to the impacts of climate variability and change. IR 4: Increased social and economic benefits to artisanal fishing communities provide incentives to a continued sustainable fisheries agenda and increased climate change resilience.

1.4 DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT INTERVENTION AREA