ABSTRACT
West Africa's coastal zone is strategically important to the development of all seven countries of the RAMPAO (Réseau Regional d'Aires Marines Protégées en Afrique de l'Ouest) subregion (Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Guinea and Sierra Leone), supporting nearly 15 million inhabitants (see Figure 10.1). The marine ecosystems, which include offshore upwelling areas, shallow banks and nearshore estuaries, are highly productive. Yet like many other areas around the world, coastal and marine systems here have been compromised in recent years due to excessive use and/or poor regulation in fisheries, tourism, development of oil and gas industry, and other ocean and coastal uses. It appears that traditional rules and conventional management have been insufficient in maintaining the fragile equilibrium, given globalization, increasing population and the push for economic development. West African countries in the RAMPAO region https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781849776462/07f8e061-e96f-4a5c-b194-16d819a32c4b/content/fig10_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> Source: MEAM, 2008a
