Mangrove studies fit into sustainability science through a trade-off yet to be found between the need to protect them, and the needs of IPLC (Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities) in low-income countries. Today, governance of mangroves is mainly aimed at global objectives (driven by Northern countries) and not at the needs of IPLC. SUFUMANG, an interdisciplinary project driven by such context around the mangrove is proposed to facilitate the cross-sector implementation of transformative solutions fostering shared prosperity and reduced poverty while protecting the environment. This project will focus on the uses of mangrove and in particular on the transformative solutions that will reconcile SDGs centred on society and SDGs centred on nature. To this end, our positioning is to bring a Southern-centric, local-centric, and women-centric perspective. The project is therefore positioned in an interstice between studies that aim to understand the state and the dynamics of mangroves and their explanatory factors, and those that aim to improve decision-making tools in the fields of conservation. This project aims to understand the values and uses of IPLC to assess how and why they constitute explanatory factors for changes, in terms of degradation, conservation or improvement. It is important to emphasize that this project is designed in partnership with research institutions in the studied countries (Santa-Cruz in Brazil, Saloum in Senegal) and that a little part of the budget will be allocated to missions of Brazilian and Senegalese team members. The project is structured in 4 Tasks. T0 is dedicated to management with a strong focus on the interface (Interdisciplinary, intersectoral, exchanges between case study). T1 is answering to the question what a “healthy” mangrove is, when mangrove is defined as a social-ecological system. A large set of disciplines will put studies together. Then, 3 components will be mobilized in a retrospective analysis of dynamics. T1 will produce an original grid for such assessment based on interdisciplinary collective work. T2 is fully dedicated to the uses of the mangrove where the science is mostly persistent on assimilating use as driver of degradation. To reanalyze uses differently, they will be the object of new in-depth interviews bringing both accurate description an understanding of the values. Then such new understanding of uses will be confronted with a political ecology analysis of governance understanding how fair governance is regarding the uses. A model developed ad hoc will be used for both retrospective analysis (hypothetico-deductive approach on the impacts of uses on the environment) and prospective seminars (stakeholders visualizing the effects of scenarios of management). T3 will, then, identify, analyse, and disseminate success stories addressing the nexus of SGDs. It requires innovative co-learning between disciplines to assess the criteria of success. The actors of these solutions will be implied in the process. We will work on a sample of actions subject of in-depth studies, analysing their governance and trajectory all along the innovation. Our understanding of such success story will be the thread of the exchanges with stakeholders during intersectoral workshops to design a shared framework of analysis. The last 5 months will be dedicated to the networking and dissemination outside the partners on the results concerning sustainable and fair uses of the mangroves. Impact and benefits of the project are: a new approach, new tools applied to a more sustainable use of mangroves, Initiatives of knowledge transfer on a new vision of mangrove conservation, promoting fair and sustainable uses inside and outside the academic consortium and knowledge transfer designed for new management insuring fairer use of mangroves.

The idea behind the project NIO Far was to foster the cooperation between Europe and Senegal and to promote activities aiming to enhance the quality and recognition of youth work while improving participants' level of competences as a way to favor their active participation in the society as well as to provide a response to social challenges.Within this framework, the project aimed at creating a pool of trainers/multipliers able to use Non Formal Education methodology to promote human rights, social inclusion, anti-discrimination measures and gender equality in relation to different contexts (Italy, Senegal and Spain).To reach this aim the project was made of different phases:1)Preparation phase. During this phase, partners communicated to identify a proper division of tasks, a timeline and to set the instruments for managing the project (i.e. creating a shared folder on google drive, a planning and setting skype call every month). 2)Implementation phase. This phase consisted of:--a long term training course based on a blended methodology (residential and online).The residential part of the training course took place in Sassari (Italy) from the 5th of July to the 12th of July 2018. The venue of the activity was the migrant centre of Platamona, where 50 migrants from different african countries are hosted. The choice of the venue was an added value, since participants could experience the migrants hosting system in Italy and share with the guests their experience. 8 migrants decided to take part to the activity. The training course involved 21 participants from three countries (Italy, Spain and Senegal), project coordinators and facilitators and local volunteers who supported the implementation of the activities. The TC focused on NFE methodology and tools to use it to promote human rights and social inclusion.--Online Training Course: following the activity in Sassari, participants started to follow the online course which gave them the opportunity to go deeper with the topic of human rights and to further plan the National activities they proposed during the Training Course. Implementation of National activities: participants planned and implemented activities in their contexts and the results was:•2 activities in Italy •1 in Spain•1 in SenegalEvaluation phase. A final meeting was organized in Ziguinchor (Senegal) from 28/10 to 2/11, during which, there was an evaluation part referred to National activities and another one to the entire project. A conference was held at the university of Ziguinchor, involving different local stakeholders to talk about human rights status in Senegal and to present the project.Following the meeting, participants organized a joint activity (every group in its country) for the International human rights day (10th December). The entire path allowed participants to:--To experience the Non-Formal Education as a learning and empowering tool and to apply this methodology;--To acquire skills and knowledge about the promotion of Human rights online and offline with a focus on the implications of a lack of inclusion;--To empower youth as active citizens using the new technologies;-- To experience the value of differences and the existence of common values beyond cultural differences;At the end of the project, were produced:•a video on NFE and its use•a video presenting the project•a toolkit on NFE methodology and practical examplesThe methodology used during the entire process was NFE methodology, whose application was also among the main purpose of the learning outcomes of the project. Dissemination activities took place during the entire project, through:•activities organized by participants and meeting with local stakeholders•newspaper,

Young people aged 15-24 represent 20% of the African population but over 40% of the total unemployed people in Africa. There arises the need to encourage young people in Africa to pursue vocational education, and to better connect the existing vocational education structures with the private sector, and the labour market in general. Therefore, the aim of this project is to upskill VET in African countries (Cape Verde, Senegal, Kenya) in order to increase employability of young people and to connect VET with the rising sectors of the labour market in the private sector. A sector that can be targeted for this initiative is the cultural tourism sector. African countries have a wealth of local assets that can serve as a motivation for cultural, green, and responsible tourists to visit the continent. In this project, we aim to create channels of communication between VET centres and the private sector, to create a joint vocational education curriculum on green, cultural, circular, responsible tourism among the partner countries of Europe and Africa, to strengthen the connection between vocational education and work, by introducing the concept of micro-credentials and to provide opportunities to students for Green Apprenticeships/Mentoring with private sector professionalsThe following steps will be taken in order to achieve the objective: creation of local and international networks, focus groups with the created networks (first local, then international) in order to assess the educational needs associated with employment in the touristic sector, and to create the learning objectives and micro-credentials, development of a joint qualification profile and joint curriculum, organisation of blended courses on the issue, organisation of e-apprenticeships (digital exchange) of students to private institutions from other partner countries and assessment of students, and awarding of micro-credentials in a digital portfolio

Land degradation narratives most often serve to justify coercive environmental policies and lead to dispossession and marginalization of local people. Mangrove policy is a good example of tensions between reclamation and conservation. Mangrove has long been considered as a putrid, waste and dangerous swamp, at least at in the eyes of Westerners; it is now considered as a rich, fragile and threatened ecosystem, which must be protected from human pressures and global change. The national and international political agenda of the last decade put mangroves in the spotlight because of their ability for sequestering carbon, thus justifying politics of reforestation in the frame of REDD+. While mangroves provide well-known and recognized benefits or services to people, their drastic decline is undeniable in several countries, their current status and socio-ecological dynamics at the regional level are poorly known and the recommended solutions for their sustainable conservation are debatable. In fact, more and more scholars are questioning the legitimacy (bio-ecological, economic and social) of protection and reforestation actions, analysing changes in governance mechanisms and regimes, and pleading for inclusive and sustainable actions for a fair sharing of benefits or "co-benefit" between mangrove conservation and the people well-being. Our main hypothesis is that the failure of conservation actions is due to more political than technical deficiencies. The multiplicity of actors, each with their knowledge and strategies practices, is one of the main obstacles to shared and sustainable governance of mangroves. COMANCO gives the opportunity to dialogue and exchanges between these actors, whether stakeholders, managers, scientists or decision-makers. The general objective of the COMANCO project is to establish a network of excellence between environmental and social sciences, that is intersectoral (scientists, young pupils, managers, field operators and artists) and international (Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia) on the issue of mangrove conservation policies. This network will make it possible to capitalize the knowledge of the partners, to synergize their long South-North and North-South partnerships and to value them through new collaborations. The 4 scientific objectives of COMANCO are: - Assessing knowledge on the dynamics of mangroves: characterization of health states of socio-ecosystems at various spatial scales and temporal scales. - Understanding conflicts of values and interests (from global to local scales): scientific uncertainties and controversies, inappropriate policies and conflicts of competences and legitimacy, unfair international mechanisms and resistances of the stakeholders. - Analysing new conservation models and alliances: comparison of case studies, chosen for their exemplarity but also depending on the strength of the partnership (Brazilian Amazon, Casamance / Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Mozambique, Vietnam and Indonesia). - Promoting sustainability and co-benefits: interfaces and boundaries between knowledge and governance; feasibility of replication, training, communication and dissemination. This project also includes two essential components of the RISE projects: training and communication. The following broader objectives will be followed: - Promote scientific and technological cooperation among network members (Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America); - Develop new collaborations that can lead to innovative ideas and actions and guide decision-process; - Strengthen the capacities and knowledge of young researchers; - Encourage exchanges and synergies between members through mobility and establishing a sustainable network; - Introduce innovative communication (through various media including images) and develop modelling for the co-construction of knowledge to consolidate the network and advance the participants in their careers.

Africa will need to feed over 2 billion people by 2050 while coping with unprecedented demographic, socio-economic, environmental, climatic and health transitions. Meanwhile, undernourishment is still on the rise, affecting almost 20% of its population now. Under this light, ensuring Africa’s food security becomes imperative, with the bioeconomy posed to play a leading role to this end. It is against this backdrop that BIO4AFRICA sets off to support the deployment of the bioeconomy in rural Africa via the development of bio-based solutions and value chains with a circular approach to drive the cascading use of local resources and diversify the income of farmers. Our focus is on transferring simple, small-scale and robust bio-based technologies adapted to local biomass, needs and contexts (green biorefinery, pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonisation, briquetting, pelletising, bio-composites and bioplastics production). In doing so we aim at empowering farmers to sustainably produce a variety of higher value bio-based products and energy (animal feed, fertiliser, pollutant absorbents, construction materials, packaging, solid fuel for cooking and catalysts for biogas production), significantly improving the environmental, economic and social performance of their forage agri-food systems. To this end, we have set up 4 pilot cases with over 8 testing sites in Uganda, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast, offering more than 300 farmers and farmer groups of all sizes (incl. small dairy and lower-income farmers, women farmer groups and transhumant pastoralists among others) the opportunity to test them in real productive conditions. Along the way, our balanced mix of 13 African and 12 EU partners will engage in solid multi-actor collaboration with rural communities and government, co-developing novel sustainable value chains driven by circular business models and supporting deployment in other areas, all while safeguarding agronomic, environmental, social and economic sustainability.