Funded by the European Union, the objective of the project is to support the implementation of recommendations set out in the Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Strategic Plans and the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) implementation plan for the Gambia.
Among the purposes of the Gambia’s Integrated Coastal Zone Management are to preserve, protect and enhance the status of coastal resources on behalf of all Gambians including future generations, to secure equitable access to opportunities and benefits of coastal resources and to provide for the coordinated and integrated management of the Coastal Zone by all spheres of government per principles of cooperative governance.
The Climate Resilient Coastal and Marine Zone project for The Gambia is funded by the European Union and provides technical advice and support for the development and implementation of activities undertaken by the Global Climate Plus.
The Thursday forum also sought to consolidate results and positive experiences of the previous GCCA project ‘Support to the Gambia for integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and the Mainstreaming of climate change 2013-2016.’ It was also meant to ensure protection of marine resources and biodiversity.
Declaring meeting open on behalf of the executive director of NEA, Sering Jaka Touray, said the forum seeks to review existing coastal zones established in different government agencies and broaden stakeholders' understanding of these coastal zones.
He further stated that the synergy was to also discuss bottlenecks and matters related to coastal zones management. While acknowledging the vitality of coastal zones, he added that efforts that would be put together during the forum would ensure a more preserved and protected biodiversity.
"The aim of this project is also to mitigate negative potential impact," he noted, adding that issue is a crosscutting national matter and that the government alone cannot do it all. He thus made a clarion call for a need to reserve coastal zones and Infrastructure.
