Organization of a Workshop on Strategic Territorial Foresight for the Jawling National Reserve and the Surrounding Area

The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development organized a participatory workshop on Friday in Nouakchott on strategic territorial foresight for the Jawling National Reserve and the surrounding area.

The two-day workshop aims to mobilize local actors to participate in the implementation of territorial foresight for the area surrounding the national development plan for Jawling National Reserve, located on the right bank of the Senegal River, and the transboundary biosphere reserve in the Senegal Delta.

The workshop also aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current system of public and private actors in the lower Senegal River Delta on the Mauritanian side, analyze land use patterns, and develop a forward-looking vision for the region.

In a speech on the occasion, Mr. Ahmed Ould El Zeine, Special Envoy of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, emphasized that the Jawling Reserve and its surrounding areas face significant challenges due to rapid changes associated with the exploitation of natural resources and the effects of climate change, requiring the development of a participatory and integrated strategic plan to ensure harmonious and sustainable development.

He added that the government attaches particular importance to integrated regional development, by anticipating future risks, in line with the environmental program of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.

He explained that this workshop marks the start of an ongoing participatory process based on the exchange of views between various actors from government sectors, local groups, residents, civil society, and technical and financial partners. He called on participants to contribute actively to the discussions in order to reconcile the requirements of environmental conservation and sustainable social and economic development by adopting a unified vision that ensures the optimal use of natural resources.

For his part, the director of the Jawling National Reserve, Mr. Al-Daf Ould Sahla Ould Al-Daf, praised the efforts made by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development to develop the sector, in accordance with the directives of His Excellency the President of the Republic, aimed at creating a sustainable environment that takes into account the social and environmental dimensions of development projects.

He added that the Jawling Reserve has adopted a development model that involves local residents in restoring biodiversity through improved water resource management, which has yielded tangible results, including the restoration of the ecosystem and the renewal of natural resources, helping to revive traditional activities such as hunting, herding, and fruit gathering, as well as improving the environmental landscape and its attractiveness to visitors.