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of Sierra Leone with the drafting and review process of
their SoME report. The results from the workshop and
the graphs are available online, as well as the draft text of
the report. 28 It is expected that the text will be approved
by the Sierra Leone Government in early 2015. Draft
reports for Cote D’Ivoire, Gabon and Congo are also
under production, and discussions are underway with
the Abidjan Convention Secretariat on how to produce
SoME reports for the entire Abidjan Convention region.
GRID-Arendal, in collaboration with Conservation
International (CI) and Geoscience Australia, published
the first digital map of global seafloor geomorphology.29
The map was published in the scientific journal Marine
Geology, and was one of the top three most downloaded
articles in 2014. The spatial data for the map has been
made available to support planning, research and
improved environmental management.30
Recognition of a successful SoME workshop
Extract from a letter to MFA received from Mrs H Jallow,
Executive Chairperson, Environment Protection Agency,
Office of the President, Sierra Leone, 5 March 2014:
“Between 4th and 7th February, 2014, a team comprising three
Experts from GRID-Arendal … were in Freetown, Sierra Leone
on a capacity building and technical assistance mission under
the auspices of the UNEP/Abidjan Convention. The five-day
visit was dedicated to facilitating a national workshop on the
development of the state of marine environment report. The
results of the workshop formed a good basis for the production
of the report and the outcome of the workshop met our
expectations. It is therefore our pleasure to commend GRID-
Arendal and the Government of Norway for their efforts and
support to Sierra Leone. We greatly appreciate this collaboration
and pledge our firm commitment in strengthening the
relationship for the common good of the two nations.”
SIGNIFICANT OUTCOME MC
28.
29.
30. To date the data have been downloaded over 160 times, with indicated
uses including marine spatial planning, whale and dolphin research,
climate change research and teaching and learning.
SoME Workshop. Both photos: Peter Harris.