The Land/Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone of West and Central Africa

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxii

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2. The Western and Central Africa Land–Sea Interface: A Vulnerable, Threatened, and Important Coastal Zone Within a Changing Environment

   • S. Diop, J. Fabres, R. Pravettoni, J.-P. Barusseau, C. Descamps, J.-P. Ducrotoy

   Pages 1-8

3. West African Coastal Area: Challenges and Outlook

   • Jean-Jacques Goussard, Mathieu Ducrocq

   Pages 9-21

4. Morphological and Hydrodynamic Changes in the Lower Estuary of the Senegal River: Effects on the Environment of the Breach of the ‘Langue De Barbarie’ Sand Spit in 2003

   • Awa Niang, Alioune Kane

   Pages 23-40

5. Management of a Tropical River: Impacts on the Resilience of the Senegal River Estuary

   • Coura Kane, Alioune Kane, Joël Humbert

   Pages 41-48

6. Combined Uses of Supervised Classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Techniques to Monitor Land Degradation in the Saloum Saline Estuary System

   • Ndeye Maguette Dieng, Joel Dinis, Serigne Faye, Marçia Gonçalves, Mário Caetano

   Pages 49-63

7. Studies and Transactions on Pollution Assessment of the Lagos Lagoon System, Nigeria

   • Babajide Alo, Kehinde Olayinka, Aderonke Oyeyiola, Temilola Oluseyi, Rose Alani, Akeem Abayomi

   Pages 65-76

8. Estuarine and Ocean Circulation Dynamics in the Niger Delta, Nigeria: Implications for Oil Spill and Pollution Management

   • Larry Awosika, Regina Folorunsho

   Pages 77-86

9. Morphological Characteristics of the Bonny and Cross River (Calabar) Estuaries in Nigeria: Implications for Navigation and Environmental Hazards

   • Regina Folorunsho, Larry Awosika

   Pages 87-96

10. Status of Large Marine Flagship Faunal Diversity Within Cameroon Estuaries of Central African Coast

    • Isidore Ayissi, Gordon N. Ajonina, Hyacinthe Angoni

    Pages 97-107

11. Morphology Analysis of Niger Delta Shoreline and Estuaries for Ecotourism Potential in Nigeria

    • O. Adeaga

    Pages 109-122

12. Importance of Mangrove Litter Production in the Protection of Atlantic Coastal Forest of Cameroon and Ghana

    • Sylvie Carole Ondo Ntyam, A. Kojo Armah, Gordon N. Ajonina, Wiafe George, J. K. Adomako, Nyarko Elvis et al.

    Pages 123-137

13. Carbon Budget as a Tool for Assessing Mangrove Forests Degradation in the Western, Coastal Wetlands Complex (Ramsar Site 1017) of Southern Benin, West Africa

    • Gordon N. Ajonina, Expedit Evariste Ago, Gautier Amoussou, Eugene Diyouke Mibog, Is Deen Akambi, Eunice Dossa

    Pages 139-149

14. Mangrove Conditions as Indicator for Potential Payment for Ecosystem Services in Some Estuaries of Western Region of Ghana, West Africa

    • Gordon N. Ajonina, Tundi Agardy, Winnie Lau, Kofi Agbogah, Balertey Gormey

    Pages 151-166

15. Plantation Agriculture as a Driver of Deforestation and Degradation of Central African Coastal Estuarine Forest Landscape of South-Western Cameroon

    • Patience U. Ajonina, Francis A. Adesina, Oluwagbenga O. I. Orimoogunje

    Pages 167-175

16. Assessment of Mangrove Carbon Stocks in Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of Congo (RoC) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Including their Potential for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)

    • Gordon N. Ajonina, James Kairo, Gabriel Grimsditch, Thomas Sembres, George Chuyong, Eugene Diyouke

    Pages 177-189

17. Governing Through Networks: Working Toward a Sustainable Management of West Africa’s Coastal Mangrove Ecosystems

    • Dominique Duval-Diop, Ahmed Senhoury, Pierre Campredon

    Pages 191-206

18. The Importance of Scientific Knowledge as Support to Protection, Conservation and Management of West and Central African Estuaries

    • S. Diop, J.-P. Barusseau, C. Descamps

    Pages 207-208

19. Back Matter

    Pages 209-210

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Although the main focus of this book is on the estuaries, its scope goes well beyond this particular coastal feature. Indeed, the estuary can only be considered as part of the life cycle of the entire river and the marine area it feeds into: an area particularly subject to human and natural pressures.
The main estuaries and deltas of West and Central Africa region provide a variety of goods and services to its coastal population. The most important of them are related to critical fish habitat, wood and charcoal from mangroves, as well as space for agriculture, aquaculture, urban development, tourism and transport.
Particular emphasis has been made in this book on mangroves that play a significant role in terms of flood control, groundwater replenishment, coastline stabilization and protection against storms. They also retain sediments and nutrients, purify water, and provide critical carbon storage. Such hydrological and ecological functions explain the focus on serving mangrove ecosystems and the nearby communities, which draw significant income from fishing, rice production, tourism, salt extraction and other activities such as harvesting honey and medicinal plants, hence the need for preserving mangrove ecosystems to ensure sustainability of the estuaries and deltas of West and Central Africa region.
The book has a foreword by Mr. Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP who is stating that credible and up-to-date information is essential for the public at large but more specifically for scientists, researchers, managers, decision-makers all working together in order to safeguard, protect and sustainably manage estuaries, deltas and lagoons, and the coastal and ocean waters of Western and Central Africa.

• Coastal Zone
• Coastal protection strategies
• Land/Ocean Interactions
• Socioeconomic African coastal environment
• West and Central Africa
• marine and freshwater sciences

• Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal

  Salif Diop

• University of Perpignan, Perpignan, France

  Jean-Paul Barusseau, Cyr Descamps

Salif Diop is a former Senior Water Officer in UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA). He is a water specialist with extensive experience in various aspects of coastal oceanography, freshwater assessment, aquatic and marine issues, sustainable management, and development. He holds from University Louis Pasteur/Strasbourg/France, a 3rd cycle doctorate he defended in 1978 and a state doctorate he defended in 1986. He is a member of various expert and working groups, including numerous scientific and research institutions. As such, he spent his first sabbatical year as Senior Fulbright Fellow in the USA at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in 1986/87 - University of Miami/USA, Division of Biological and Living Resources. He has more than 40 referred publications with 5 books as main author and co-author and has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize Certificate – IPCC 2007.

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