P 250812Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7598
INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ACCRA 000155 
 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EFIS KGHG PREL SG CV GH
 
SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE AND COASTAL ZONES- REGIONAL UPDATE 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. Climate change, coastal zone, and fisheries issues are 
increasingly addressed in unison as dominant variables in an 
equation including politics, economics, social themes, 
security, and biodiversity.  During a recent TDY to Senegal 
and Cape Verde, the REO met with host nation contacts, United 
Nations Development Program (UNDP) representatives, USAID 
Senegal, and members of the African Partnership Station (APS) 
team. END SUMMARY. 
 
CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
¶2.  The meetings with the UNDP representatives were especially 
insightful.  The UNDP message was clear and concise on all 
fronts:  Climate Change is a development issue and the four 
pillars to the UNDP strategy to combat climate change are: 1) 
Capacity building, 2) Adaptation, 3) Mitigation, and 4) 
Mainstreaming.   Mr. Benoit Lebot, UNDPs Regional Technical 
Advisor who is based in Dakar and Mr. Christophe Nutall, 
Director Hub for UNDP Innovative Partnerships, based in 
Geneva, conveyed the same message during separate meetings and 
again during a conference in Dakar on February 6, 2009 to 
discuss the potential influence that a territorial 
collaboration can have on the national front.  Several 
speakers at the conference referenced the State of California 
and its "exemplary climate change initiatives" and the new 
world Climate Change context given by President Obama when he 
referred to the significant role he is giving to individual 
United States when to address climate change issues. 
 
¶3.  Mr. Nutall noted that Margret Kim, Senior International 
Climate Policy Advisor and China's Program Director of the 
California Air resources Board, is working with the with the 
UN to develop UN-California strategy with associations of 
regions including the Climate Group to advocate the roles of 
States, Regions and Provinces for a Kyoto II type mechanisms. 
Ms. Kim is scheduled to be in New York on 23 February 2009 to 
explore next steps in sub-national collaboration with United 
Nations Climate Change officials. 
 
¶4.  The UNDP representatives in Praia, Mrs. Eunice Gomes and 
Mr. Jose Levy, reiterated the same message as their colleagues 
in Dakar.  The path forward involves capacity building, 
education on adaptation, mitigation and the mainstreaming of 
climate change initiatives into all economic sectors.  NOTE: 
Cape Verde continues to move forward with renewable energy 
initiatives.  Praia seems to be fully committed to the non 
binding pledges submitted during WIREC 2008 to increase 
electricity production via renewable energy sources.  Mr. Rito 
Manuel Evora of the Agency of Economic Regulation noted during 
his meeting with the REO that Cape Verde is moving forward 
with the development of four wind parks with a total 
electrical generating capacity of 28 megawatts on four 
separate islands.  It was not clear if U.S. companies are 
involved in the bidding process to supply components and or 
construct these wind parks during this meeting.  It did seem 
as if the host nation entities recently cleared certain 
internal administrative hurdles but the project seems to be in 
the planning stages.  The project schedule was not available 
at the time of the meeting.  END NOTE. 
 
COASTAL ZONES AND FISHERIES 
 
¶5.  The lack of sustainable integrated coastal zone management 
and sustainable fisheries management combine to:  feed the 
concerns of many, fuel tension between some, and continue to 
generate illicit profits for a select few.  Beach sand mining 
(supporting the construction industry in some of the major 
coastal urban centers in West and Central Africa) and illegal 
fishing continue to reduce the biodiversity in the costal zone 
and in the marine fisheries environment.   In Dakar, USAID 
Senegal hosted an interagency forum on integrated coastal 
resources management with DoD, AFRICOM, NOAA, and others to 
capture the essence of the multiple USG efforts in the region 
and to promote the coordination of future efforts in the 
coastal zone to improve biodiversity and to combat illegal 
fishing. 
 
¶6.  Estimates indicate that illegal fishing costs Africa 
around $1 billion annually due to lost revenue. There is 
rising concern over shrinking fish stocks related to the 
overall food security concern, and illicit fishing can and in 
some cases does support other illicit maritime activity in the 
region.  The Senegalese Director for Maritime Surveillance and 
Protection provided an overview of his organization?s mission, 
which is to provide monitoring, control and surveillance along 
Senegalese Coast.  The director seemed optimistic about 
improved multinational cooperation with Guinea Bissau and he 
projected there would be a regulatory tax designed to support 
improved  vessel monitoring and a scheme to aid fishermen in 
fielding vessel borne marine safety kit (currently 
underdevelopment.  COMMENT:  The director for surveillance and 
detection was reluctant to discuss the challenges associated 
with blending the maritime and artisanal fisheries policies. 
He did cite the need for increased capacity building and 
support to improve coastal and offshore monitoring.  He seemed 
genuinely appreciative of the USG efforts and the 
AFRICOM/African Partnership Station visit to Senegal.  The 
opportunity to support improved scientific partnerships would 
complement operational capacity building efforts.  A 
combination of science and pragmatic partnerships could, if 
crafted and coordinated with sustainability in mind, serve to 
empower the technical specialists, devise pilot project 
successes, and ultimately reinforce, to the policy makers, the 
need for integrated coastal and marine policy, which promotes 
sustainable biodiversity management.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶7. For further discussion contact Geoffrey Hunt at +233-21- 
741- 417 or Patience Charway at +233-21-741-839. 
 
TEITELBAUM