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Biography |
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Salif Diop has been in UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) as a Senior Officer for nearly 15 years. He is a water specialist with extensive experience in various aspects of coastal oceanography, freshwater assessment, aquatic and maritime 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 had spent a one year sabbatical as a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Miami/USA, Division of Biological and Living Resources in 1986/87. 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. He has more than 40 referred publications with 5 books as the main author and co-author and has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize Certificate – IPCC 2007. Other 120 publications can be added to his own list as technical documents, research work, monographs, thesis, abstracts, and book reviews. He is a University Professor, Member of the National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal since February 2006, Member of the African Academy of Sciences (ASS) since December 2009 and Member of the World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Sciences in the Developing Countries (TWAS) since October 2010. For more details, including recent publications, kindly consult the following website: http://www.esalifdiop.org.
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Abstract |
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Sustainability of Future Coasts and Estuaries: lessons learnt in West Africa for the sustainable management of estuaries, mangroves and coastal waters. |
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Abstract
Indeed, estuarine and coastal ecosystems in Africa are extremely valuable in providing cultural (recreational, spiritual, etc.), provisioning (food, timber, etc.) and regulatory (flood protection, climate regulation, etc.) services that are not only at the core of the coastal ecosystem functioning, but also an important basis of livelihoods of over 120 million inhabitants living in the region. The coastal ecosystems of West Africa region, and in particular mangroves and estuaries, represent important socio-economic values based on irreplaceable ecosystem functions. However, these valuable ecosystems are subject to a range of human pressures that may compromise the health of living human residents. These disturbances are multiple and include pollutants, excess nutrients (causing eutrophication), loss and transformation of habitats and disturbance of hydrological regimes causing flooding and unpredictable flow patterns. The effects of these impacts, often acting in cumulative and synergistic manners, impact the overall stability of the system and threaten its strength and resilience. This presentation sets out the challenges facing coastal countries in Western Africa in managing their coastal and marine resources and in particular their mangrove ecosystems for the sustainable benefit of their populations, in the context of the increasing local to global demands on those resources and the pressures of pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Current mechanisms for the governance and management of the coastal and marine environment at national to regional scales should be reviewed and their effectiveness appraised. Keywords Ecosystem goods and services; Estuaries and coastal ecosystems; West and East Africa and West Indian Ocean; Ecosystem-based approach; Socioeconomic factors; Estuary Management and governance; Scientific Approach; Ecosystem Health. |
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