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Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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CSI info 7
EQUATORIAL GUINEA COMMUNICATION
AND EDUCATION IN SUSTAINABLE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
Federico Edjo Ovono,
National University, Equatorial Guinea
For those who know it only by name, Equatorial Guinea is a small country in central Africa, in the middle of the Gulf of Guinea. One of its problems is that its regions are very scattered. There are seven islands (Bioko, Annobon, Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico, Cocotero and Pemba) as well as the mainland territory of Rio Muni. The northernmost island of Bioko is 670 km from the one furthest south (Annobon), while the port of Bata, in Rio Muni, is 280 km from Malabo, the main town on Bioko.
This means that Equatorial Guinea has extensive coastal regions and small islands. Also, as a developing country, it has huge problems communicating with and administering such areas.
The country is a big timber exporter, which puts it at the mercy of the industry’s market fluctuations. The mainland coast is the area most affected by this.
According to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) study in 1981, mangroves cover 20,000 hectares of Equatorial Guinea. But lack of money and trained personnel as well as the absence of a broad awareness of their economic importance has meant that these areas have not been developed.
These are some of the reasons why my country is interested in the activities of Sustainable Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), and in all UNESCO’s programmes to do with the environment, small islands and integrated management of ecosystems.
We also favour drafting an overall plan for communication, education and training in coastal management.
Therefore, my country would like to implement, with UNESCO’s help, an interactive communication programme which would set forces in motion resulting in an energetic and interactive relationship between the various social agents, with the help of the media and the National University. The aim would be to increase the involvement of the population and their commitment to the development process and to change the behaviour of people, groups and communities so as to improve the quality of life of these individuals and groups. An interactive communication programme could be a means of development and social involvement in sustainable management of Equatorial Guinea’s coastal regions and small islands.
Through its Conservation and Rational Use of Forest Ecosystems (CUREF) programme, the government is also committed to drawing up a plan for classification and rational use of land in the Rio Muni mainland. The plan outlines a desirable pattern of land use based on biological, physical, technical, economic and socio-cultural criteria, as well as on the government’s policies concerning rural development, timber production and preservation of forest ecosystems.
Environmental training is provided at the National University with courses to train skilled public health workers and forestry experts.
REFERENCES
FAO 1981. Tropical Forest Resources Assessment Project. Forest Resources of Tropical Africa, Part. I, Regional Synthesis, 108 pp. (UN/32 6301-87-04, Rep 2).
Nature & Resources, Vol. 26, No. 2, 1990. p. 15, Table 2, in: Mangrove Resources in Nigeria: Use and Management Perspectives, UNESCO.
