Dakar to host 6th International Congress on Marine Protected Areas in 2027

Dakar, the capital of Senegal, will host in February 2027 the International Congress on Marine Protected Areas (Impac6), for the first ever in the history of the continent.

The city has been chosen by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to host the event also known as IMPAC 6. The previous congress, Impac 5, was held in the Canadian city of Vancouver in 2023.

The event, held every four years, will be held in Africa for the first time. This choice is not insignificant insofar as the continent is the “junction point of all the world’s seas and oceans”, explains Mamadou Sidibé, Senegal’s Director of Community Marine Protected Areas (DAMCP).

“Everything will be done to meet the challenge of participation, to bring together at least all the countries on the planet, with over 5,000 to 8,000 participants expected”, Sidibe added.

Senegal has stood out on the continent as it currently boasts 17 marine protected areas (MPAs) established in recent years. Conversation during IMPAC 6 will touch on seaside tourism as well as cultural and social links. The delegations to travel to Dakar will be presenting their progress in the fight against overfishing and seabed mining (cobalt, copper), as well as their efforts to promote the blue economy as advocated by the 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG14).

The event, held every four years, already took place in Geelong, Australia (2005), Washington, D.C., United States of America (2009), Marseille, France (2013), and La Serena, Chile (2017), and Vancouver, Canada (2023).