The Chari-Logone Sub-Basin (LCSB) has an area of 610,000 km² and is among the most important water sources essential for the survival of Lake Chad. The Logone and Chari rivers serve as natural borders between Cameroon and Chad. Nearly 20 years ago, an inventory of fish fauna revealed 177 species of fish and a potential fish production of more than 200,000 tons/year. These data remain questionable in the absence of fundamental studies and the existence of a reliable database. Due to a lack of human, material and financial resources, there is still little accurate information on the resources of the LCSB.

The Support for the Sustainable Management of Databases of Aquatic Ecosystems in the Chari-Logone sub-Basin project is a pioneer project, and aims to create databases on aquatic biodiversity for the fish value chain on the Cameroonian and Chadian shores of this basin which will be freely accessible to all.  IUCN will work in close collaboration with the Economic Commission for Livestock, Meat and Fishery Resources (ECLMFR), the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and the directorates of the ministries responsible for fisheries in Cameroon and Chad. The ECLMFR will host the digital platform on its website and will provide technical support in the methodological approach and in the validation of the results. The databases generated by this project will enable partner institutions to further document the sub-regional strategy for fisheries governance in Central Africa.

Several results are expected for the Support for the Sustainable Management of Databases of Aquatic Ecosystems in the Chari-Logone sub-Basin project

(i) Increased availability of updated information on aquatic biodiversity (database, atlas and study report) with free access,

(ii) Capacity development (production and implementation update of data, exploitation by the various stakeholders) on the mechanisms for monitoring aquatic ecosystems, fisheries value chains and their implications for biodiversity conservation,

(iii) A framework will be developed for sharing data and information between the actors at sub-regional and national levels (unit production/updating of databases, collaboration between neighboring countries).

Armel MEWOUTH is an Environmentalist with over thirteen years of work experience in Central and West Africa in areas such as integrated water resources management, development of agricultural value chains, improvement of livelihoods and climate change. Mewouth is Project Coordinator at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), he is responsible for the Regional Water and Wetlands Program in Central and West Africa, the objective of which is to preserve and strengthen governance freshwater and wetlands at national and transboundary level. Its activities focus on the governance of transboundary rivers, hydro-diplomacy, the production of data and knowledge on aquatic resources and the improvement of livelihoods in the face of climate change.