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.