RESILAO provides direct funding for small projects addressing various priorities:

• Consolidation of conservation gains and restoration of priority sites and ecosystems threatened by rapid changes,
• Regional-scale sustainable blue economy initiatives,
• Promotion of innovative approaches (e.g., hybrid solutions) for coastal resilience and blue economy diversification.

RESILAO aims to support the capitalisation and incubation of projects, enabling the development of:

• Structured methodologies for capitalising on project calls and implementing local initiatives,
• A mutual learning approach through experience sharing,
• A multi-actor incubator for new local projects focused on adaptation, sustainable development, and resilience of coastal communities.

RESILAO expects the launch of at least 50 new projects on blue economy themes, employing soft and/or hybrid solutions to mitigate coastal risks.

To support this, the program will assist project leaders in formulating their projects and connect them with potential funders, including at the PRCM forum in 2025.

The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the world’s most endangered marine species. In the Atlantic, a small population survives on the Cabo Blanco peninsula in Mauritania. Globally, fewer than 700 individuals remain, half of them residing in three caves on Cabo Blanco. These caves, extremely limited in number, face constant landslides, and rising sea levels threaten the inner beach where the seals rest and give birth. Additionally, the Cabo Blanco population is threatened by the expansion of Nouadhibou city and the risk of another massive die-off.

Consequently, authorities from Mauritania, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have decided, during the recent meeting of the Action Plan for Monk Seal Conservation, to conduct an experimental relocation trial. This trial will transfer seals to open beaches within Banc d’Arguin National Park. This one-of-a-kind initiative aims to establish a methodology to relocate juvenile seals to a new site, thus creating a new colony and a replicable rescue operation for this species.

The project is executed by the CBD-Habitat Foundation, with partners such as the Annajah Association, Banc d’Arguin National Park, and Mauritania’s Ministry of the Environment. It represents a key milestone in preserving this endangered species, building on over 20 years of conservation efforts by authorities in Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, and Spain to prevent its extinction in the region and globally.