The MPA in Joal-Fadiouth was established on November 4th, 2004. The idea of the conservation of the marine resources, and hence the establishment of the MPA, stemmed directly from the local fisherfolk community. Along with the fisherfolk community, the MPA is being co-managed by the the Directorate of Community-Based Marine Protected Areas (DAMCP) which was created in order to support Senegal’s blue growth and biodiversity conservation national strategies.

Communication and raising awareness are the pillars of environmental protection.

Laws are an important factor for environmental protection, but it is the will of the public that will make the difference. It is important to raise awareness of the richness of our territories, but also of their fragility. We need to realize that it is through our daily actions that we can make a difference. For example, if a consumer creates a demand, the fisherman responds to this demand.

To share and raise awareness, an exhibition will soon be set up on each island of the French West Indies. The objective will be to present the diversity and the fragility of the shark and ray populations that frequent the shallow waters and to present good practices.

To protect, we need knowledge.

• What shark and ray species are present in the shallow waters of the French West Indies?
• When are these species present?
• Are they present on all the islands?
• What are the potential local threats to their populations?
• Are they in contact with human activities?

With so many questions in need of an answers, we came up with two main methods to collect the necesarry knowledge:

• Scientific monitoring based on aerial surveys. The shallow waters of the French West Indies were explored with a drone. This method makes it possible to identify the species present and count the number of individuals which frequent the shallow waters.
• Aquisition and valorisation of sea user's knowledge. Who is best placed to know the sea? The local users! Fishermen, divers, swimmers use the sea every day. Participatory science was used to record sightings of sharks and rays. The collected data made it possible to produce distribution maps for each species and to collect information about shark and ray interactions with human activities.

The plays that are performed in the communities are paid for by organizations that require environmental education projects, and these same plays can be sold to municipalities or schools that require performances on specific days, or even at birthday parties. Environmental education becomes self-employment for the young people in the group.

This program requires ongoing training. In addition to personal growth issues, training sessions include identifying problems, creating a script, developing a theatrical production, creating puppets, and holding acting classes.

Puppet theatre allows the group to create fun stories, appropriate to the reality of the communities, which clearly identify a problem and propose a solution. The plays combine entertainment with education, the messages are clear, and the theatre is a medium for that message to reach children and adults. In addition, at the end of the play, educational materials are distributed so that the message is not forgotten.

Una vez que las familias fueron trasladadas se comenzó una intensa tarea de limpieza, remoción de residuos (alrededor de 200 camiones completos de basura) y un saneamieno general de ese espacio.

Finalmente, en el año 2005 se pudo formalmente declarar la creación del Parque Natural Emperatriz a través de  tres fases: la primera con la implementación de áreas de recreación, equipamiento acorde y un área de 170 ha para la conservación de la biodiversidad; la segunda etapa en 2012 y una tercera fue la creación del Jardín Botánico. Actualmente, tanto el Parque como el Jardín Botánico conforman un mosaico de áreas protegidas.

Un plan estratégico habitacional efectivo y adaptado a esa situación estructural fue clave en la recuperación de este área tan devastada.

Se ha llevado a cabo el traslado de alrededor de 200 familias y, posteriormente,  una extensa limpieza del sector a través de un proceso de recuperación y conservación permanente. Dichas familias se dedicaban a la separación de basura y de residuos sólidos domiciliarios e industriales, material que luego comercializaban. Este proceso era realizado de forma irregular y sin conocimiento de la temática, es así que esta actividad se tornaba un elemento perjudicial adicional en este ya devastado escenario para el medio ambiente .

Este proyecto habitacional, a diferencia de lo que sucede en muchas partes de Sudamérica, ha sido planificado e implementado en forma humanizada, atendiendo a las necesidades de las personas que habitaban el lugar. Ha sido un proceso habitacional de calidad, que no sólo ha reubicado a las familias sino que también ha ayudado a capacitarlas en actividades de reciclaje para llevar el proceso de manera más profesional, consciente y alineada a la normativa de esta actividad.

In order to financially sustain the project, a plan has been implemented to obtain resources from the terms of conduct adjustment (TAC) as well as environmental compensation; however, the TACs do not have a specific allocation for APAs and the Municipal Environmental Fund as the destination of payments, As they are recent, they do not yet have fixed disbursement criteria, so financial resources derived from the Iporanga and Tijucopava plots are used for the suppression of irregular vegetation and occupation without environmental licenses, thus allowing for the purchase of a 611-hectare reserve.

The level of involvement obtained was very significant, strengthening the interaction, the relationship with the process of implementation and management of the APA as well as in the performance of the councilors, their organizations of origin, the sector represented in the Council, and other social actors and society in general.