The regional workshop to launch the second phase of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme for Western Africa was held from 24 to 25 April 2019 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Ivory Coast and with the support of the WAEMU, the Western African Economic and Monetary Union.

The workshop informed on the BIOPAMA intervention strategy and involved conservation stakeholders in its implementation in order to enhance the management of data on protected areas and biodiversity to improve regional strategies, public policies and practices in the sites.

The very active and constructive participation of over sixty representatives of administrations in charge of thirteen  countries of the region (Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo), plus technical-financial partners (based in five European countries) has ensured the achievement of the expected results.

During two days of group work, roundtable discussions and exchange of experiences, participants were informed about the objectives of BIOPAMA programme, and through constructive dialogue, they shared their suggestions and identified priority joint actions for the countries and the region.

The participants expressed their achievements and motivation to the creation of the regional observatory and the promotion of the information system proposed by BIOPAMA as well as to share data and to participate in the capacity building process to support the use of information management systems and tools in order to enhance protected areas management and governance. 

BIOPAMA offers the following workshop outputs:

1. a roadmap for the establishment of the Observatory as well as indications of partnerships to enhance data and information available in the region;
2. a list of opportunities of national investment based on key reference documents at  national and regional levels;
3. an inventory of themes and potential authors to consider in the preparation of the report “Status of the marine protected areas”.

The main follow-up steps for BIOPAMA implementation were presented during the workshop final communication, including:

• the designation of a technical host of the Observatory of West Africa;
• the definition of regional indicators connected to biodiversity and protected areas effective management in partnership with  the countries and institutions concerned; 
• continuous capacity building of regional organizations, platforms and conservation professionals;
• organization of a workshop on IMET for Central and Western Africa (IMET 1.0 – 2.0) and facilitation of access to data analysis collected during the first phase of BIOPAMA.

These efforts will be effective in influencing public policies and in decision-making processes at different levels for biodiversity conservation and better governance of protected areas in Western Africa.