Guinea Kounki Project – Climate resilience, food security and fisheries

Adaptation Need

The coastal regions of Conakry, Kindia and Boke are highly vulnerable to climatic extremes and risks, including flooding, rising temperatures and sea-level rise, which impact fish habitat and yield. Sea level is projected to rise by 80cm by 2100, threatening to inundate Guinea’s coastal marshlands – the fish breeding grounds – and communities, potentially reducing fisheries productivity by up to 25 percent. This would significantly impact the livelihoods and food security of coastal populations. The estimated cost of climate adaptation inaction in the fisheries sector and other sectors will exceed US$4 billion by 2025.

GCA’s Added Value

While the Guinea Kounki project advances critical objectives to strengthen climate resilience of fishing and aquaculture communities, GCA added value is to strengthen the integration of climate change considerations into fisheries and aquaculture management. During project design, GCA collaborated with the World Bank to strengthen the adaptation scope of the project through robust assessment of climate risks of Guinea’s coastal ecosystems, generating evidence base to inform the selection of suitable nature-based adaptation solutions. GCA is also set to evaluate the feasibility of early warning systems in coastal communities and develop practical tools for Marine Protected Area management — such as pre-defined terms of reference to guide effective management of coastal ecosystems developed. These outputs will help Guinean authorities to effectively implement the project and contribute to resilience of the coastal and fisheries communities.