African Marine Conservation Organization

African Marine Conservation Organization (AMCO)

The African Marine Conservation Organization (AMCO), is a leading Cameroonian non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding aquatic megafauna (such as the African manatee, sea turtles, sharks, and rays) and their fragile habitats across Central Africa.

AMCO operates at the critical intersection of science, community development, and policy, striving to make the coastal and aquatic environments of Africa a threat-free home for wildlife while promoting sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

My Role: Website Development

I designed, developed, and deployed the official AMCO organizational website and digital front-end. The core objective of this project was to provide a professional, fully responsive, and dynamic platform capable of:

1. Showcasing Real-Time Conservation Impact: Integrating and displaying data collected through their innovative citizen science program.
2. Facilitating Global Awareness: Clearly communicating AMCO's mission, strategies, and success stories to international partners and donors.
3. Enhancing Donor and Partner Engagement: Providing a robust and trustworthy hub for funding and collaboration opportunities.

Key Conservation Initiatives Supported by the Platform

The digital platform was built to effectively communicate the organization's primary strategies:

1. Innovative Citizen Science (The SIREN App)

AMCO pioneered the SIREN App, a collaborative platform that enables local fishers to report opportunistic sightings, bycatch incidents, and strandings of aquatic megafauna. The website was designed to visualize the aggregated data, transforming raw field observations into accessible, impactful insights that inform policy and research.

2. Community & Sustainable Livelihoods

Recognizing that conservation is inseparable from human well-being, AMCO's initiatives focus on reducing the economic vulnerability of fishing communities. The website structure emphasizes these integrated management strategies, promoting projects like alternative livelihood training (e.g., beekeeping) to reduce pressure on marine resources.

3. Applied Research and Advocacy

The platform serves as the public repository for AMCO's scientific findings—from bathymetric mapping of protected areas like Lake Ossa to status reports on Cameroon's shark and ray populations. This public-facing data is crucial for their advocacy work, which aims to strengthen marine wildlife law enforcement and improve legal conservation statuses.

AMCO’s success underscores the power of integrating cutting-edge technology with grassroots community engagement to achieve tangible conservation outcomes.