CMS has supported a number of small-scale project activities in various countries, with a view to stimulating broader initiatives. Recognizing a need of centralized information on West-African turtles, CMS funded the most comprehensive review to date on the status of marine turtles of the Atlantic Coast. This document synthesized the knowledge currently available on the marine turtles of West Africa, highlighting some well-established facts, some uncertainties, and conservation measures or applied research that would be advisable to undertake. It is meant to serve as a reference tool for further studies.
CMS has also supported the development of basic training and awareness materials. CMS has funded the production of French language marine turtle identification posters developed by WIDECAST, an NGO working on turtle conservation in the Caribbean. The posters have been distributed widely to countries along the Atlantic Coast of Africa. CMS has also contributed funding towards the production of a long-awaited marine turtle research and management techniques manual.
On the more practical level of marine turtle conservation efforts, CMS has funded a project, which started in 2001 and was successfully concluded in 2003, aimed at uncovering the migratory patterns of the Green Turtle population nesting at Poilão, Guinea-Bissau.
From 2005 to 2012 coordination services for the MOU had been provided by SINEPAD/URTOMA, a Senegal based Coordination Unit. CMS is now exploring avenues for long-term coordination arrangements for the MOU.