Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of Senegal’s Saloum Delta

The report uses the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) tool to quantify the economic importance of the Saloum Delta's wetlands and mangroves. It compares a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario against interventions such as organic agriculture, mangrove reforestation, road construction, solar cookstoves, and oil extraction. The analysis highlights a significant trade-off: while oil extraction generates massive near-term revenues, it causes substantial losses in ecosystem services. Conversely, nature-based interventions like mangrove restoration and organic agriculture provide long-term economic gains through enhanced ecosystem performance and labour income. The report also proposes blended finance strategies, including carbon offsets and impact bonds, to fund conservation.

• The Saloum Wetland generated cumulative ecosystem services valued at CFA 964 billion between 2019 and 2029, with cumulative labour income from related industrial activities (fisheries, agriculture, and tourism) amounting to CFA 1,973 billion.
• Oil extraction provides the highest financial returns but severely damages the environment; it is projected to generate CFA 554,586,209 million in revenues while causing a negative impact on ecosystem services valued at CFA 297,112 million.
• Mangrove reforestation is highly effective at increasing ecosystem service performance, contributing more than CFA 257,000 million (EUR 391 million) in cumulative value over 40 years.
• The adoption of solar cookstoves by 30% of households by 2030 is particularly effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with an avoided social cost of carbon exceeding CFA 33,000 million (EUR 50 million).
• Organic agriculture enhances wetland ecosystem services by approximately CFA 128,530 million and increases labour income across various sectors.
• Road construction significantly boosts labour income but accelerates deforestation in nearby areas, increasing pressure on natural capital.
• Replacing the Saloum Delta's natural ecosystem services with built infrastructure would be extremely costly; for example, providing the same services over 10 years would require capital and operation costs of CFA 1,537 billion.
• Under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, the Saloum Delta faces continued degradation of wetland quality and increasing soil erosion, driven by population growth, demand for fuelwood, and chemical fertilizer use.

APA

Bassi, A. M., Casier, L., Pallaske, G., Perera, O., & Bechauf, R. (2020). Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of Senegal’s Saloum Delta. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-08/savi-saloum-delta-senegal.pdf

Chicago

Bassi, Andrea M., Liesbeth Casier, Georg Pallaske, Oshani Perera, and Ronja Bechauf. Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of Senegal’s Saloum Delta. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-08/savi-saloum-delta-senegal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bassi |first1=Andrea M. |last2=Casier |first2=Liesbeth |last3=Pallaske |first3=Georg |last4=Perera |first4=Oshani |last5=Bechauf |first5=Ronja |title=Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of Senegal’s Saloum Delta |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-08/savi-saloum-delta-senegal.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bassi2020sustainable, author = {Bassi, Andrea M. and Casier, Liesbeth and Pallaske, Georg and Perera, Oshani and Bechauf, Ronja}, title = {{Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of Senegal’s Saloum Delta}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-08/savi-saloum-delta-senegal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }