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WARN - West Africa Regional Network

West Africa is a geographical space with strong north south variability associated with a climate and vegetation cover gradient. This diversity is favorable for diagnostics and prognostics on issues such as climate change impact on ecosystems and livelihoods. The high demographic growth and progressive scarcity of resources require a closer look to land use change and land cover degradation factors. The trans-boundary dimensions of environmental change require organized efforts to understand, plan and implement effective responses, including recent concerns about the impacts of large fires.

The primary objectives of the West African Regional Network are to: foster research in environmental change that build on existing bilateral collaboration links; help develop research capacity among the partners involved through joint research activities on key aspects of environmental change; and train young scientists from African partner institutions in approaches and techniques for studying environmental change, such as the use of Earth Observation techniques and GIS.

The following key cross-cutting thematic issues have been identified and prioritized by the West Africa Regional Network:

  • Water
  • Wildland Fires
  • Carbon/Forest/Climate change
  • Urban / Coastal Zone

View thematic group participation list

The first WARN discussion meeting was held in 2005 to develop an Action Plan for West African Remote Sensing/GIS Network. WARN was officially initiated in 2007, at the 2nd West Africa Regional Network Meeting on Earth Observation and Environmental Change held at the University of Ghana.

WARN activities and documents

WANSEC: Sub-project A: Bush fires in West Africa: Project background

International Workshop on Advances in Operational Weather Systems for Fire Danger Rating: WARN trip report

Contacts and additional details

Contact the West Africa Regional Network: warngofc@gmail.com

The network is coordinated by Dr. Cheikh Mbow - Curriculum Vitae

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