The Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) extends southwards from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to the Bijagos Archipelago of Guinea Bissau and westwards to the Canary Islands (Spain) and following the western extent of the North West African continental shelf (corresponding approximately with the EEZs of the coastal states). The countries within the recognized limits of the CCLME are Spain (Canary Islands), Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea Bissau. Cape Verde and the waters of Guinea are considered adjacent areas within the zone of influence of the CCLME (see maps at page 11).

The Canary Current LME is one of the world’s major boundary current systems with cold water upwelling, ranking 3rd in the world in terms of primary productivity after the Humboldt and Benguela LMEs and having the highest fisheries production of any African LME (annual production ranges from 2 to 3 million tonnes). The CCLME also provides important ecosystem goods and services including provision of habitat for fish and other coastal species, supply of fresh water from coastal rivers and estuaries, wood from mangroves and provision of coastal and marine space for agriculture, aquaculture, urban development, tourism and transport. The CCLME is a vital food and economic resource not only for coastal populations bordering the LME, but also for much of West Africa and beyond.

The capacity of the CCLME to sustain valuable ecosystem goods and services is threatened by over fishing (by both industrial and artisanal fishing fleets), habitat degradation (of benthic, coastal and estuarine habitats), pollution (from both land-based and sea-based sources) and climate change (slowing of the North Atlantic gyre and other atmosphere/ocean effects). Furthermore, the efficient capture and distribution of benefits from the goods and services of the CCLME are constrained by the lack of adequate plans and policies. Current approaches to the management of the natural assets of the CCLME are primarily national or sector-based and limited in scope. Without introducing an ecosystem-based, integrated approach to management, the health of the CCLME ecosystem will continue to decline with negative socio-economic consequences for the people of the region.

As part of the preparatory phase, the countries of the project and development partners have undertaken a series of national consultations and regional meetings leading to a Preliminary TDA that has identified and analyzed specific priority transboundary concerns and actions to address them. From the Preliminary TDA was derived a Strategic Action program ‘pre-cursor’ (Pre-SAP) which led to the project design itself. Project objectives and activities were further refined in the light of redefined GEF IW strategic objectives and programs for GEF4. Key program partners and their donors have been solicited to consider the Preliminary TDA, SAP-precursor and project framework as a basis for collaboration and coordination with their own future interventions. Interventions of the CCLME project and project partners will be coordinated within the framework of the CCLME project through a series of cooperation and co-financing arrangements, creating in effect a CCLME program.

The long-term environmental goal of the CCLME program is to “reverse the degradation of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem caused by over-fishing, habitat modification and changes in water quality by adoption of an ecosystem-based management approach”. This is consistent with GEF IW’s identification of depletion of coastal and marine fish stocks and associated biological diversity as a major global concern and is in accordance with IW Strategic Program 1 for GEF4 (“Restoring and sustaining coastal and marine fish stocks and associated biological diversity”). The project will assist countries in achieving WSSD targets relating to sustainable fisheries and progress towards Millennium Development Goals 1 (poverty reduction) and 7 (stabilized environment).

The CCLME project objective is to “enable the countries of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem to address priority transboundary concerns on declining fisheries, associated biodiversity and water quality through governance reforms, investments and management programs”. A Preliminary TDA has confirmed the focus of regional concern on depleted fisheries and on habitat, associated biodiversity and water quality critical to fisheries. The principal outcomes of the project will be: 1) Multi-country agreement on priority transboundary issues; 2) Multi-country agreement on  6 governance reforms and investments to address priority transboundary issues; 3) A sustainable legal/institutional framework for the CCLME; 4) Strengthened existing transboundary waters institutions and regional policies and instruments; 5) Stakeholders’ involvement in transboundary water-body priority setting and strategic planning; 6) Improved knowledge and capacity to address concerns on ‘Marine Living Resources’; 7) Improved knowledge and capacity to address concerns on ‘Biodiversity, Habitat and Water Quality’; 8) Demonstrated management actions and related costs/benefits valuations addressing priority transboundary concerns on ‘Marine Living Resources’ (project component 2) and ‘Biodiversity, Habitat and Water Quality’ (component 3). Specific actions to address transboundary concerns prior to the SAP will include multi-country policy proposals (as annexes to the SAP), legal, and institutional reforms, demonstrations of shared stock management, selective trawling gear, MPAs for fisheries and mangrove restoration.

The project is primarily a foundational / capacity building project focused on addressing depleted fisheries and centered on a combination of the TDA-SAP process and the Large Marine Ecosystem 5-module approach1 which aims to foster cooperation among project countries to adopt common transboundary policy and management objectives and instruments to address priority transboundary issues and monitor the status of the CCLME based on sound science. The project also includes a series of demonstration actions to address initial transboundary priorities that will serve to encourage adoption of a SAP by the project countries before the end of the project while also providing 1) useful input to the TDA/SAP and LME assessment; 2) stress reduction2 for certain components of the ecosystem and 3) model approaches for replication within and beyond the CCLME. The project includes targeted experience sharing with existing GEF IW projects through IW:LEARN, support to one Small Island Development State – SIDS (Cape Verde) and will pursue linkages with other coastal management and river basin management initiatives in the CCLME including other programs of the GEF.

The project will help countries to implement the WSSD Plan of Implementation, particularly as regards Part IV paragraphs 29-32 (implementing Ch. 17 of agenda 21, ecosystem approach, ICOM, regional cooperation, ICAM, sustainable fisheries, conservation of the oceans etc.); 34 (improved scientific understanding of marine and coastal ecosystems); 38 (integrated land management and water use); 42 (control of alien invasive species) and Part VIII paragraphs 56 (Africa Process for the marine and coastal environment) and 60 (integrated water resources development).

The total project cost, including PDF-B financing and co-financing, is an estimated USD27,647,000. The total GEF contribution will be USD8.79 million (including USD0.7 million towards the PDF-B phase). The in-kind contribution of participating countries is estimated to be USD4.0 million. Total cofinancing from other sources, including donors, FAO, UNEP and others is estimated at USD13,805,000.