Plaquette : Making the Senegal river navigable - IAGF 6ème session

o Involve the future stakeholders of the waterway: operators, shippers, industr ial clients, mines,.. . from the outset. & Quiekly select the operator(s) of the new developments lt is important to ensure the profitab ility of the infrastructures. The recommendati on goes asfar asmaking the start of the project coincide w ith the appointment of the operator. It is crit ical to est imate t he projeet 's ROI (retu rn on investment), as much regarding the economics involved as t he social, societal and cultu ral dimensions. Whatever the case, a balance must be mainta ined between the econom ic and social dimensions, the return on investment and the general interest. This balance is essential for the project , given its natu re and its ambition. 20 Catta il is already a serious risk far t he river and its uses and as yet no lasting means of destroying it or putting it to good use has been found . The navigation project must take the environment into account to avoid adding new pressures on an already frag ile ecosystem. What impacts w ill t he projeet have on water pollution, t he proliferation of invasive plants and the circulat ion of f ish, among ot her th ings? The followi ng proposais we re put forward: o Explore new uses of typha ln France, in Mont pellier, the Chemistry Bio-inspired and Ecological Innovati ons Laboratory (CNRS- University of Montpell ier) wo rks on the use of fi brous plants to hold back metal pollutions (eg: to clean waters f rom mining aetivities) or as a catalyst. Using typha asa means of metal depoll ution could be t he subjeet of studies. In Benin, a company called Green Keeper Af rica (GKA) is already marketing produets made from the water hyacint h in arder to retain hydrocarbons. f) Conduct a strategie impact assessment regarding the ecologieal issues An assessment of the ecoton , in the ecolog ical t ransit ion zone betwee n several ecosystems should be conducted.