West Africa’s coastal areas host aboutone third of the region’s population and generate 56 percentof its GDP. They are home for valuable wetlands, fisheries,oil and gas reserves, and high tourism potential. However,these areas are affected by severe pressures: rapidurbanization along the coast has increased the demands onland, water, and other natural resources; man-madeinfrastructure and sand extraction have contributed tosignificant coastal retreat; moreover, climate change anddisaster risks are exacerbating these threats. As a result,coastal areas are undergoing alarming environmentaldegradation leading to deaths (due to floods, air and waterpollution), losses of assets (houses, infrastructure) anddamages to critical ecosystems (mangroves, marine habitat).This study estimates in monetary terms the Cost ofEnvironmental Degradation (COED) in the coastal areas ofBenin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo. Specifically,itvalues the impacts of degradation that occur during oneyear, as a result of three major factors: flooding, erosion,and pollution (from water, air and waste). The final resultsare expressed in 2017 prices. They are reflected in absolute(USD) and in relative terms, as percentage of the countries’GDP. Overall, the COED of the four countries is estimated ataboutUSD 3.8 billion, or 5.3 percent of the countries’ GDPin 2017. Flooding and erosion are the main forms ofdegradation, accounting for more than 60 percent of thetotal cost. Moreover, coastal degradation causes over 13,000deaths a year, primarily due to air and water pollution, andto floods.
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