The APEFE and the Walloon Air and Climate Agency (AWAC) are bringing together their expertise to take concrete action against the harmful effects of climate change.
In the Sine Saloum Delta in Senegal, rising sea levels and coastal erosion threaten the shell middens, which bear witness to the cultural heritage of local populations. These millennia-old mounds contain unique archaeological remains that tell the story of the Niominka Serer communities. Erosion causes these sites to collapse, drowning irreplaceable historical treasures in the sea.
Beyond this cultural loss, climate change is disrupting the fragile mangrove ecosystem, affecting biodiversity and the livelihoods of local people who depend on fishing, oyster farming and ecotourism. This irreversible loss and damage illustrates how urgent action is truly needed, and has recently become the third pillar of the fight against climate change, alongside mitigation and adaptation.
In the face with this emergency, Wallonia has decided to develop their unique expertise in the field, trying to find concrete answers to the needs of the most exposed communities.
The Loss and Damage Fund
This approach is part of a rapidly changing international context. At the COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, Wallonia unexpectedly announced a contribution of one million euros to a funding programme dedicated to Loss and Damage, managed by the United Nations. This financial mechanism is intended to help vulnerable countries cope with the irreversible impacts of climate change that exceed their capacity to adapt.
This initiative came shortly before the official decision to create a dedicated fund at COP27 in 2022 and its operationalization at COP28 in 2023, which would be administered on a temporary basis by the World Bank.
On the ground, Walloon action is taking shape through projects led by AWAC in partnership with the APEFE.
The "Niowan Saloum" project in Senegal is a perfect illustration of their commitment. Faced with erosion threating both cultural heritage and the local economy, a collaboration between the APEFE, the ULB-Coopération and the Senegalese association Nébéday, is deploying an arsenal of innovative solutions.
From the restoration of the ecotourism trail of the huge Diorom Boumak shell heap threatened by rising waters, training of eco-guides, development of beekeeping in the mangroves, support for female entrepreneurship in the processing of local products... The project goes beyond the simple preservation of heritage, it also aims to strengthen the ability of the local communities to fight climate change by creating new sustainable economic opportunities.
Wallonia's commitment is not limited to Senegal. In Burundi, another project supported by AWAC and APEFE tackles landslides and soil erosion, illustrating the diversity of loss and damage challenges across the world.
Wallonia is committed to the international level
These actions nevertheless raise a legitimate question: why is Wallonia acting at the international level when climate challenges also exist at the regional level? The answer lies in the very nature of climate change, a global phenomenon with local consequences.
Greenhouse gas emissions know no borders. An approach of international solidarity is needed to support developing countries, which have contributed the least to the problem and are often the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
For Wallonia, this international commitment is also an opportunity to develop unique expertise. The lessons learned in contexts as varied as Senegal or Burundi feed Walloon skills and adaptation strategies at the regional level.
In addition, by positioning itself as an innovative player on the international climate finance scene, Wallonia is strengthening its influence and its ability to carry weight in global negotiations.
At a time when the impacts of climate change are intensifying all over the world, the Walloon example, through the action of AWAC and APEFE, shows that it is possible to act in a concrete way, by combining heritage preservation, sustainable economic development and international solidarity.
Published on Wallonia.be on 04/07/24
Images © ULB Cooperation
