Diagnostic analysis of the Canary Current System of West Africa: the need for a paradigm shift to proactive natural resource management

Abstract

Large exports of land-based contaminants to the ocean exacerbate the effects of climate change, pollute ocean waters, disrupt biogeochemical cycles, harm marine organisms, and consequently jeopardise food security and the livelihoods of ocean-dependent communities. The Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) is characterised by a mix of the Atlantic Ocean basin waters, reverse flow from the Mediterranean Sea, and inland waters from adjacent countries. This biodiversity-rich ecosystem is a source of ecosystem goods and services that provide sustenance for populations in the coastal states of West Africa and beyond. However, with the ocean surface warming, ocean productivity and fisheries’ outputs have declined across multiple trophic levels. Therefore, in this diagnostic study based on a systematic literature review (publications from 2009 to 2020), we (a) provide an integrative assessment of the CCLME with the exception of Morocco, in the context of the modular large marine ecosystem framework using the categories ‘environmental’ (productivity, fish and fisheries, pollution, and ecosystem health) and ‘non-environmental’ (socioeconomic and governance), and (b) identify knowledge gaps and data scarce regions. The key drivers of change in the CCLME were identified as fishing pressure, land-based pollution, coastal habitat loss, and climate change. Productivity, land-based pollution, and ecosystem health were priority areas for data collection in the CCLME, with data deficiencies particularly apparent in The Gambia and Guinea. Therefore, to mitigate further degradation and accelerate progress toward sustainable management of the CCLME, research should be conducted in these priority areas of data deficiency. Furthermore, as most drivers of change in this ecosystem are related to weak management and a lack of regulatory enforcement, we recommend effective implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of existing national and transboundary regulations, as well as ecosystem-based human-centred management approaches, as proactive strategies for decoupling anthropogenic disturbances from climate change and optimising the productivity of the CCLME.