Stakeholders have ended a two-day national validation workshop on the preliminary draft charter and action plan for sustainable mangrove management. The conference was held at the Hill Valley Hotel in Freetown.

Participants signed a final communiqué that has been forwarded for the attention of government.

The signed communiqué recognized the abundance of mangrove formation along the west coast of Africa with special reference to countries like Sierra Leone, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia and, Guinea Bissau.

It was also highlighted that the coastal population in the sub-region has received considerable revenue from the expiation of mangrove wood, fishing, rice growing, salt extraction, medicinal plant, and extraction of honey.

In the communiqué, it is noted that as a result of the deforestation of mangrove, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Wetlands International (WI) and the Coast and Marine Conservation Programme are implementing the West Africa Mangrove Initiative (WAMI). The WAMI project is intended to rehabilitate areas where the mangrove has been damaged, develop demonstration projects, building national mangrove conservation policies and drafting characters and action plans.

The communiqué was drafted and signed by stakeholders including officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, mangrove experts and consultants, and other important stakeholders.