The international community has approved Senegal's bid to host the 6th International Congress on Marine Protected Areas (Impac6) in February 2027. In Dakar, the five continents will debate the blue economy compromised by seabed exploration, among other issues.
After Vancouver, Canada, in 2023, Dakar will host the International Congress on Marine Protected Areas (Impac6) in February 2027. The event, held every four years, will be held in Africa for the first time. This choice is not insignificant insofar as the continent is the “junction point of all the world’s seas and oceans”, explains Mamadou Sidibé.
According to Senegal’s Director of Community Marine Protected Areas (DAMCP), created in 2014, “everything will be done to meet the challenge of participation, to bring together at least all the countries on the planet, with over 5,000 to 8,000 participants expected”. And what better city than Dakar, a dynamic city familiar with such international gatherings, to host this sixth edition under the banner of preserving marine ecosystems.
A focus on ODD14
In this respect, the country of Teranga is beginning to stand out from its West African neighbors, with the creation of 17 marine protected areas (MPAs) in recent years, notably the Gorée MPA, whose fishing potential rubs shoulders with the Bay of Dakar. Seaside tourism will be discussed at length at Impac6, as will “connectivity and species migration (i.e. marine or blue corridors), as well as cultural and social links”, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
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The other subject at the heart of this International Congress is the new Treaty on the Protection of the High Seas, to be adopted by the United Nations in June 2023. The various national delegations in Dakar will be presenting their progress in the fight against overfishing and seabed mining (cobalt, copper), as well as their efforts to promote the blue economy as advocated by the 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG14). According to the African Union (AU), this sector is expected to generate 49 million jobs and 405 billion dollars by 2030 on the continent.
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Benoit-Ivan Wansi
