Soft solutions to strengthen the resilience of West African coasts with local communities (RETCAO)

In West Africa, coastal areas are subject to increasing pressures related to sea level rise, unsustainable developments and sediment loss. Despite structuring initiatives such as the UEMOA regional programme to combat coastal erosion or the WACA ResIP, vulnerability persists. The WACA FFEM project demonstrated the effectiveness of alternative approaches such as vegetation, development or restoration of natural infrastructure. RETCAO proposes an ambitious second phase, based on lessons learned, to extend the approach to new countries, with a robust methodology, strengthened territorial support and the strategic involvement of the PRCM.

• Develop a unified methodology for participatory diagnosis to assess risks and the feasibility of soft solutions.
• Implement pilot projects to reduce coastal risks in 6 to 10 sites, integrating greening, ecological techniques and flexible arrangements.
• Support local authorities and actors through training and permanent methodological coaching.
• Capitalize on feedback through the production of educational materials, guides and practical documents.
• Disseminate good practices through the PRCM network, ORLOA, learning communities and regional forums such as FOMACO.

• Reduce coastal risks in several vulnerable pilot territories.
• Strengthen local and regional capacities to implement nature-based solutions.
• Strengthen community ownership and better governance of the coastline.
• Produce reproducible tools and set up a task-force of regional experts to promote scaling up.
• Improve the integration of soft solutions into national and regional public policies.

The project adopts an unprecedented methodology in the region by identifying priority corridors based on the ecological needs of six key terrestrial and aquatic species.
This integrated and multidisciplinary approach promotes collaborative governance tailored to local environmental contexts and ecological realities.