In the Casamance delta of Senegal, Rooted Resilience is no longer just a mangrove conservation & restoration project. With support from the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation, it has grown into a regional movement: one that demonstrates how social resilience and ecosystem restoration can reinforce each other at scale. 

Over the past year, progress has accelerated in ways that go beyond hectares restored. The project builds on earlier efforts to expand mangrove conservation and strengthen local stewardship across the delta, transforming fragmented initiatives into coordinated landscape action. 

Communities at the  center of  change 

What makes Rooted Resilience different is simple: local communities are not beneficiaries; they are leaders. 

Across villages in the delta, savings and loans groups have become the foundation of long-term change. By organizing their own financial systems, families are creating the stability needed to invest not only in livelihoods, but in the future of their mangrove forests. 

During recent field visits, the impact of this integrated approach was visible everywhere: 

• Beekeepers harvesting mangrove honey from restored areas 
• Community market gardens strengthening food security 
• Reduced pressure on wood-cutting thanks to alternative income streams 

What began as savings and loans groups has evolved into something even more powerful. In one area, members formalized their structure into a cooperative — proof that financial empowerment can catalyze collective environmental action. 

As these groups share their experience from village to village, momentum is building. Today, more than 1,000 women across the delta are saving, investing, and building sustainable livelihoods together. Economic agency is translating directly into ecological stewardship. 

From fragmentation to  collective  action 

A defining achievement this year has been revitalizing the Casamance Mangrove Platform — a regional coordination body that brings together government actors, NGOs, community organizations, and technical partners. Membership has grown from 37 to 64 members, creating a unified vision for the entire landscape. 

Where efforts once overlapped or competed, there is now: 

• A shared restoration strategy 
• Coordinated protection of remaining mangrove forests 
• Alignment on long-term climate adaptation goals 

This shift from isolated projects to collaborative governance may be one of the program’s most important outcomes. It ensures that restoration gains are protected and scaled. 

Restoration at  scale and  beyond 

Technically, the numbers speak for themselves: 

• 173 hectares of mangroves restored directly by the project 
• 529 hectares restored through supported local partners 
• 1500 youth involved in environmental education acitivities 

Together, these efforts contribute to a delta landscape of over 65,000 hectares, reinforcing one of West Africa’s most vital coastal ecosystems. 

But the most significant result cannot be measured in hectares. 

It is the deep sense of shared ownership that now defines restoration in the Casamance. Communities are shaping a future where climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and local prosperity are inseparable. 

Nature  and  prosperity can go hand in hand 

At a time when global forums demand proof that climate adaptation and nature-based solutions work, the Casamance offers a clear answer. Rooted Resilience demonstrates that when: 

• Local leadership is prioritized, 
• Financial empowerment supports ecological stewardship, 
• Regional coordination replaces competition, and 
• Long-term partnerships replace short-term interventions, 

… restoration becomes durable. 

In the Casamance delta, resilience is not an abstract concept debated in conference halls. It is visible in thriving mangroves, in jars of honey harvested from restored forests, and in women gathering to plan their next collective investment. 

Here, resilience is truly rooted.