CEM is a Partner of LT&C in Côte d’Ivoire when it comes to initiatives, projects and activities in regard to national marine protected areas (MPAs). Thereby the protected area development at Grand Béréby is presently in focus. LT&C may assist CEM in facilitating and strengthening cooperation with other non-governmental and governmental stakeholders supporting MPA’s in Côte d’Ivoire.

While officially set up in 2014, the non-profit organisation “Conservation des espèces marines”, or CEM, started acting in the 1990s following the discovery of nesting turtles on beaches of the Ivorian south-west coast, and in particular in the Bas-Sassandra district.

At that time, local communities were involved in poaching and in collecting eggs for consumption or for sale without understanding how vulnerable those species are, nor the importance of those nesting sites for the life cycle of turtles. We therefore started working with these communities to protect turtles and their habitat while providing support for local sustainable development in harmony with the environment.

CEM is now supported by a range of partners, local and international, by the regional and national authorities and by the local communities to:

·       Protect marine and coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, estuaries and river mouths.

·       Develop local capacity and involvement in conservation and sustainable development