Programme

The Tristao Islands are an isolated group of islands, located in northern Guinea. The mangroves that cover half of them make up a valuable ecosystem and are a key habitat for wildlife and fishery resources. The biodiversity is special and vulnerable. It’s a breeding area for several species of marine turtles and is home to over 200 identified bird species. Mangrove forests protect the islands against coastal erosion and sea level rise but are also the only source of energy for the island population. Most of the 15,000 inhabitants live below the poverty line and use mangrove wood for cooking and lighting, as well as for income generating activities like fish smoking, which is the biggest economic activity

Since its start in 2019, PRCM has been working in Tristao and has planted 318 hectares of mangroves and has restored 375 ha of abandoned rice paddies to ensure natural regeneration of new mangroves. These ecological results will be consolidated and socio-economic activities with women producer groups will continue to be supported to ensure their empowerment and increase the sustainability.

In 2023 PRCM has started working in the Kapatchez Delta in North-West Guinea as well.  This is a Marine Protected Area, a RAMSAR site and an Important Bird Area (IBA) covering 20,000 hectares. Mangrove forests surround and protect around 75% of this large island’s coastline from coastal erosion and sea level rise.

Kapatchez is a key migration, reproduction, spawning and nursery area for coastal and marine fauna; apart from numerous fish and migratory bird species, you find dolphins, manatees, sea turtles and Nile crocodiles. Artisanal fishing is the most practiced economic activity, with fishermen from Kamsar, Koukoudé, Conakry and even the wider region (Sierra-Leone, Senegal, Gambia, Mali). Women process the fish through smoking, for which a lot of wood is used, as well as for cooking, salt and palm oil production, etc. Mangroves are also crucial for rice cultivation – flooded rice paddies are in the forests of mangroves – and therefore for the local economy and the food security of the island. As a result the mangroves are under serious threat and are gradually disappearing, jeopardizing the livelihoods of the inhabitants and the island as such. PRCM is replicating the good practices and lessons learned from the Tristao Islands.