Coastal Ecosystem Monitoring in Cabo Verde (CEM-CV)

18 November 2020 / Mindelo
Coastal Ecosystem Monitoring in Cabo Verde - kick-off at OSCM

The Coastal Ecosystem Monitoring in Cabo Verde project (CEM_CV) had its kick-off and co-design workshop as part of the Cabo Verde Ocean Week 2020 at OSCM on 18th November 2020.
The management of marine natural resources requires the precise knowledge of its extent, its dynamics and the notion of drivers of change to understand ways to improve their state, maintain and preserve vulnerable parts of the ecosystem and provide means for the local communities to improve their livelihoods. The CEM_CV project will develop standards for a coastal monitoring program in a region where no systematic ecosystem observations exist so far in order to improve local knowledge about the marine coastal environment and the biodiversity around Cabo Verde. Thereby, the project aims to foster knowledge-based sustainable development of the coastal zone and the marine environment of Cabo Verde. Through an intense co-design process local stakeholders and international experts will define requirements for such a monitoring program. This will be validated through a dedicated pilot field survey that includes state-of-the-art technologies such as ship-, glider- and drone-based measurements and community-based observations including low-cost technologies (in combination with cellphones). The long-standing bilateral cooperation between German and Cabo Verdean partner institutions has already established substantial infrastructure in Cabo Verde such as the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM) or the outfitting of a local research vessel with modern oceanographic equipment to conduct marine research in the region. The CEM_CV project leverages this partnership with its human resources and infrastructure to develop a concept for a coastal monitoring program that will directly benefit local stakeholders and decision-makers to improve their knowledge about the local ecosystem and its resources and manage them sustainably. Therefore, CEM_CV also puts emphasis on communicating obtained scientific results in an appropriate language back to the local stakeholders and up to the policymaker level, who were involved in the project co-design from the beginning on. Through this approach CEM_CV aims to set the cornerstone for a coastal ecosystem monitoring program that can be operated by local investigators and technicians on their own and can be expanded to other regions in Cabo Verde and beyond in a sustained way.

Workshop Goals were (goal 1) to define local stakeholder requirements and priorities, discuss opportunities for a participatory approach and collect ideas for the pilot survey phase and (goal 2) to synthesize information gathered during day 1, co-design pilot survey phase, agree on a timeline and develop a mid-term strategy to transform the project into a sustained monitoring program.

The CEM_CV agenda is availabe here.

For an project introduction watch the CEM_CV video on YouTube:
English version Video: The Coastal Ecosystem Monitoring in Cabo Verde project, CEM_CV
Portuguese version Video: Projeto Monitoramento dos Ecossistemas Costeiros em Cabo Verde, CEM_CV

 

For further information about the Cabo Verde Ocean Week 2020 visit the website here:
https://caboverdeoceanweek.cv/